Primary survey · Source language: English
The condition for trusting AI is being able to check it yourself
In a developer survey, 48.0% tied trust in AI to being able to verify output easily.
- Who:
- Developers and engineers who answered the Stack Overflow survey
- Scope:
- 14,304 on the trust question / whole survey 169 countries and 30,903 valid responses / Multiple regions
- Source published:
- 2026-10-06
- Period observed:
- 2026-06-23 to 08-05
- Editorial check:
- 2026-10-23
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What was confirmed
- 14,304 people answered the trust question. 48.0% trust it when it can be verified easily.
- 6.6% trust it for many tasks, including important work decisions.
Who, and in what situation
A question asking under what conditions they can trust the AI output they use at work.
What they needed
Using AI while checking the results themselves. Demand for specific products was not measured.
What this source lets you read
If ease of verification becomes a design target, the range you can hand to AI may change.
What to check next
What verification takes the most time? With what evidence could you hand it over?
Limits of this source
- A self-selected survey; not representative of developers overall.
- This is self-reported trust, not a measure of AI's actual accuracy.
Read the primary source
Links use the original title or a HAKOMIRO source description. Japanese originals retain their published wording.
AI data 2026 — Trust in AI tools (opens in new tab) ↗
Stack Overflow /
Responses were solicited through the survey site, blog and email.
2026 Developer Survey — Methodology (opens in new tab) ↗
Stack Overflow /
Of 39,266 records in total, 30,903 were used as valid responses.
The results of the 2026 Developer Survey are here! (opens in new tab) ↗
Stack Overflow /