AI is making people less confident in professionals such as doctors and teachers

• August 28, 2026

• New research shows 64% of people feel confident challenging professional advice after checking it with AI
• Over 45s are less likely to question professional advice
• An “expertise recession” has been identified by the survey, conducted by Use.AI

AI is helping many of us call time on taking professional advice without further research, concerning new reports have found.

Research by Use.AI has claimed professional advice from doctors and teachers is now researched further, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of people are now more confident challenging what they have been told.

In addition, an “expertise recession” has been identified, a scenario in which expertise is less sought after in a world where AI can assimilate all information and present a contextual and nuanced response.

Gen X less likely to ask

The survey of 15,428 adults has also revealed other professionals that people are more likely to challenge. Managers, journalists, and economists are included in the list.

Use.AI’s findings also highlighted a key split in age groups, as while 70% of 18 to 34-year-olds are “more comfortable” asking questions that challenge professional advice after checking an AI chatbot response, that figure shrinks to 49% among over-45s.

Also, while 64% are “more confident challenging advice” from professionals, 53% of people are using AI to check answers and information from experts ahead of deciding if they can agree with it. Furthermore, nearly half (46%) of respondents stated that professional credentials don’t hold the same reputation as they once did, thanks to AI making it much easier to check an expert’s response.

This reveals an interesting change in how expert information is received. No longer is it something accepted at face value. Credentials might indicate a professional’s experience and knowledge, but don’t necessarily mean that everything they say should be accepted without further confirmation – typically by AI.

The “expertise recession”

In summarizing the report, Use.AI has referred to something it calls the “expertise recession.” This is, it says, evidence of a “decline in automatic deference” to professionals with years of education, expertise, and experience.

“AI has democratized confidence faster than it has democratised knowledge,” said Ihor Herasymov, Co-Founder & CEO of Use.AI. “Someone can use AI to arrive at better questions without becoming qualified to judge the answers.”

Use.AI tell us that the “gap between confidence and competence” will continue to grow in importance as more people use AI for information searches and fact checks.

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New research shows 64% of people feel confident challenging professional advice after checking it with AI Over 45s are less likely to question professional advice An “expertise recession” has been identified by the survey, conducted by Use.AI AI is helping many of us call time on taking professional advice without…