The profession using AI the most is Cloud Engineering, with high search interest and many AI courses available online. In contrast, cybersecurity has comparably lower AI usage and search interest, with only 64 percent adoption.
These are some of the trends identified from a recent study by the firm ZapCap. This is based on the firm analyzing three key metrics: Google search interest for “AI for [profession],” the percentage of professionals using AI tools (based on survey data), and the number of AI-focused courses available on one educational platform.
An AI usage score was calculated by weighting these metrics and normalizing the results from 0 to 100 for final rankings.
The professions studied were ranked:
- Cloud Engineers
- Software Engineers
- Data Scientists
- Customer Support Specialists
- Social Media Managers
- Marketing Specialists
- Graphic Designers
- Copywriters/Content Writer
- Financial Analysts
- Cybersecurity Analysts
From the above, Cloud Engineers lead the list of professions using AI the most in 2025, with 70 percent of workers using AI tools daily. The field also sees 32 million monthly Google searches for AI-related tools, showing strong interest from professionals. To meet this demand, educational platforms offer specialized courses, helping Cloud Engineers improve their AI usage skills.
Software Engineers rank second with a 97 percent AI adoption rate despite having only about 3.3 million monthly Google searches for AI tools. They benefit from the most educational resources, with 53 AI-focused courses available in just one platform, positioning them just behind Cloud Engineers with an AI usage score of 99.
Data Scientists rank third with 76 percent AI usage and relatively modest search interest (400 K monthly searches). They have access to 52 available courses, resulting in an AI usage score of 82. Customer Support Specialists take fourth place, generating nearly 30 million monthly searches for AI tools (second highest), with 74 percent of professionals using AI daily.
Social Media Managers rank fifth with 82 percent of professionals using AI tools daily and generating over 9.5 million monthly searches for AI tools. Marketing Specialists come in sixth with an 80 percent AI usage rate and professionals conducting 700 K monthly searches for AI-related tools. Educational platforms have responded by creating 18 specialized AI courses for marketers, contributing to their usage score of 59.
Graphic Designers come seventh, with 83 percent of professionals using AI tools daily. The field has high search interest (3.1 million monthly searches for AI design solutions). Despite this demand, only two specialized courses are available on one platform. Copywriters and Content Writers rank eighth with an impressive 85 percent AI usage rate and over 1.1 million monthly searches for AI writing tools. The last rank Cybersecurity specialists. Only 64 percent of professionals use AI on a daily basis.
The high search volume from Customer Support and the strong AI adoption among Copywriters show a transformative shift across industries.
