AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 39-2011.00

Will AI replace Animal Trainers?

Animal Trainers: AI can already handle 3 of 15 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 15 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Animal Trainers, from most to least exposed. 3 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Evaluate animals to determine their temperaments, abilities, or aptitude for training. 65 Estimated Standard 4.3
Evaluate animals for trainability and ability to perform. 65 Estimated Standard 4.0
Advise animal owners regarding the purchase of specific animals. 60 Estimated Standard 3.6
Conduct training programs to develop or maintain desired animal behaviors for competition, entertainment, obedience, security, riding, or related purposes. 50 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Train horses or other equines for riding, harness, show, racing, or other work, using knowledge of breed characteristics, training methods, performance standards, and the peculiarities of each animal. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Retrain horses to break bad habits, such as kicking, bolting, or resisting bridling or grooming. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Train dogs in human assistance or property protection duties. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Cue or signal animals during performances. 30 Estimated Standard 4.5
Talk to or interact with animals to familiarize them to human voices or contact. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.5
Observe animals' physical conditions to detect illness or unhealthy conditions requiring medical care. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Keep records documenting animal health, diet, or behavior. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Organize or conduct animal shows. 30 Estimated Standard 3.2
Feed or exercise animals or provide other general care, such as cleaning or maintaining holding or performance areas. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Administer prescribed medications to animals. 10 Estimated No tier 4.3
Use oral, spur, rein, or hand commands to condition horses to carry riders or to pull horse-drawn equipment. 8 Estimated No tier 4.4

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 15 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 15 of 15. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A standard-tier model or lower covers 86% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 86% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 14% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
18,770
Median annual wage
$39,990
Middle half of earners
$33,740 to $53,580
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+5.1%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Animal Trainers and AI

Will AI replace Animal Trainers?

AI already handles 3 of the 15 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 35 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +5.1% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Animal Trainers?

35 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 15 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 15 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Animal Trainers tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Evaluate animals to determine their temperaments, abilities, or aptitude for training; Evaluate animals for trainability and ability to perform; Advise animal owners regarding the purchase of specific animals. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 86% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Animal Trainers, and what do they earn?

18,770 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $39,990 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +5.1% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Animal Trainers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/animal-trainers

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