# Will AI replace programmers? Updated October 2026 Programmers score 66 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 75%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 19% outright, and 6% stays with people. - **19%** AI can do it - **75%** AI helps - **6%** Needs a person High exposure Higher than 97% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 17 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 13 and leaves 1 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Compile and write documentation of program development and subsequent revisions, inserting comments in the coded instructions so others can understand the program. AI drafts program documentation and code comments; developer reviews accuracy. | 82% AI can do it | | Write or contribute to instructions or manuals to guide end users. AI drafts end user manuals and guides from specs; writer edits. | 78% AI can do it | | Write, analyze, review, and rewrite programs, using workflow chart and diagram, and applying knowledge of computer capabilities, subject matter, and symbolic logic. AI drafts and reviews code from flowcharts; programmer verifies logic and intent. | 72% AI helps | | Prepare detailed workflow charts and diagrams that describe input, output, and logical operation, and convert them into a series of instructions coded in a computer language. AI converts flowchart descriptions into working code; programmer checks logic. | 70% AI helps | | Correct errors by making appropriate changes and rechecking the program to ensure that the desired results are produced. AI spots likely bugs and suggests fixes; programmer confirms and retests. | 65% AI helps | [See what AI can take on across an IT team](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/it/) ## How programmers compare All occupations (923) Computer and mathematical (36) **Programmers score 66**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 60 for computer and mathematical. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $100,390 a year, May 2025 People employed 92,230 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs \-7.3% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Review AI-drafted code against flowcharts and specifications - Deploy and roll back stacks in AWS CloudFormation - Write Ansible playbooks that configure production servers - Model data access patterns in Amazon DynamoDB - Earn the AWS Certified Developer Associate certification ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Software developers59 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/software-developers/) - [Systems engineers60 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/systems-engineers/) - [Systems analysts59 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/systems-analysts/) - [Database administrators60 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/database-administrators/) - [Data engineers60 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/data-engineers/) ## Questions about programmers and AI Will programmers be replaced by AI? Partly. About 5 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly drafting program documentation and writing and reviewing code. What stays with people is the logic, the intent behind each program, and proof that the program produces the desired results. Will AI take over coding jobs? AI can already do 19% of the task time in coding and speeds up another 75%. People still do 6% of it. The US has 92,230 programmer jobs, with a projected change of -7.3% from 2024 to 2034. Which programmer tasks is AI taking over? AI drafts program documentation and code comments, the most exposed task at 82, because the code itself is the source material and the developer only checks accuracy. End-user manuals score 78, since AI can draft them from specs and a writer edits the result. Writing and reviewing code from flowcharts scores 72, with the programmer checking the logic. Which programmer tasks stay human? Assigning, coordinating and reviewing programming staff scores 15 on exposure, because management judgment and accountability belong to a person. Consulting with managers and engineers to clarify program intent scores 25, since requirement talks are interpersonal and AI only summarizes the notes. Live user training sessions score 30, because in-person sessions need people in the room. How do programmers stay valuable as AI takes over tasks? Move toward the work that still needs a person to finish, such as verification, deployment and stakeholder sessions. Review AI-drafted code against the flowchart and retest every fix. Take on deployments in AWS CloudFormation and Ansible, and lead requirement sessions before coding starts. ## Related jobs - [UX designers66 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/ux-designers/) - [Software testers64 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/software-testers/) - [Computer hardware engineers51 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/computer-hardware-engineers/) - [Computer network architects55 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/computer-network-architects/) ## Next steps for programmers - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.