---
title: "Does AI make your job more difficult? — Work data 2026"
url: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/work/data/job-difficulty-ai
year: 2026
chapter: "work"
question: "JobDifficultyAI"
section: "Job satisfaction + AI"
licence: "ODbL 1.0 (https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/)"
---

# Does AI make your job more difficult?

For each of the top two reasons users find their job difficult, unclear priorities and inefficient processes, 69% say AI was not involved.

Asked as: For each factor that made your job harder, was AI or AI agents a reason? (`JobDifficultyAI`, scale, optional, v2026.1)
Asked as: In the past 6 months, which factor has done the most to make your job harder to do? (`JobDifficulty`, single select, optional, v2026.1)

## Results

### All Respondents

n = 12,246

|  | No, AI or AI agents were not a reason | Yes, AI or AI agents contributed, but were not the main reason | Yes, AI or AI agents were the main reason | I’m not sure |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Unclear priorities or requirements | 2,084 | 597 | 202 | 126 |
| Inefficient processes, workflows, or coordination | 1,812 | 560 | 205 | 61 |
| Not enough time, staffing, or resources | 1,753 | 511 | 192 | 98 |
| Poor documentation or knowledge sharing | 869 | 229 | 123 | 62 |
| Unreliable systems, infrastructure, or environments | 832 | 344 | 253 | 85 |
| Lack of support from teammates, managers, or mentors | 517 | 143 | 62 | 27 |
| Lack of access to the right tools or platforms | 282 | 109 | 90 | 18 |

In context: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/work/data.md