Coding Agents in Social Science

The way research is conducted in the humanities and social sciences is fundamentally changing. While existing AI chatbots have mainly been used to assist with writing, coding agents such as Claude Code and Codex can autonomously carry out research by writing, executing, and interpreting analysis code based on research ideas and datasets.

According to a survey of 1,260 social scientists conducted in early 2026, 81% of respondents use AI chatbots during their research process to write code or edit sentences. However, only 20% have adopted coding agents that autonomously execute analysis code into their work.

There is a clear gap in how coding agents are used. Male researchers use coding agents twice as much as female researchers, and researchers at top-tier universities were 40% more likely to use them than those who are not.

Coding agent users tended to submit more working papers and research proposals than non-users at the same academic field and career stage. However, this may be a characteristic of the early stage of technology adoption.

Researchers are optimistic that AI will help with paper writing, but they remain cautious about its broader impact on the social sciences as a whole.