AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-3027.01
Will AI replace Automotive Engineering Technicians?
Automotive Engineering Technicians: AI can already handle 12 of 18 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 18 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Automotive Engineering Technicians, from most to least exposed. 12 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document test results, using cameras, spreadsheets, documents, or other tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Set up mechanical, hydraulic, or electric test equipment in accordance with engineering specifications, standards, or test procedures. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor computer-controlled test equipment, according to written or verbal instructions. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Analyze test data for automotive systems, subsystems, or component parts. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Perform or execute manual or automated tests of automotive system or component performance, efficiency, or durability. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Improve fuel efficiency by testing vehicles or components that use lighter materials, such as aluminum, magnesium alloy, or plastic. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Fabricate new or modify existing prototype components or fixtures. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Order new test equipment, supplies, or replacement parts. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Test performance of vehicles that use alternative fuels, such as alcohol blends, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, biodiesel, nano diesel, or alternative power methods, such as solar energy or hydrogen fuel cells. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Participate in research or testing of computerized automotive applications, such as telemetrics, intelligent transportation systems, artificial intelligence, or automatic control. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Read and interpret blueprints, schematics, work specifications, drawings, or charts. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Recommend product or component design improvements, based on test data or observations. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Analyze performance of vehicles or components that have been redesigned to increase fuel efficiency, such as camless or dual-clutch engines or alternative types of air-conditioning systems. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Recommend tests or testing conditions in accordance with designs, customer requirements, or industry standards to ensure test validity. | Observed | Standard | |
| Inspect or test parts to determine nature or cause of defects or malfunctions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install equipment, such as instrumentation, test equipment, engines, or aftermarket products, to ensure proper interfaces. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain test equipment in operational condition by performing routine maintenance or making minor repairs or adjustments as needed. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Build instrumentation or laboratory test equipment for special purposes. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 18 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 16 of 18. 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 80% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 95% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 5% 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
- 36,190
- Median annual wage
- $74,510
- Middle half of earners
- $59,510 to $88,110
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- 0.0%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034. BLS publishes these figures by SOC code, so O*NET occupations that share a SOC code show the same figures.
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.
- Automotive Engineers 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure51
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure49
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure65
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure58
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure21
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Automotive Engineering Technicians and AI
Will AI replace Automotive Engineering Technicians?
AI already handles 12 of the 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 58 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 0.0% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Automotive Engineering Technicians?
58 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. 2 of the 18 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 16 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Automotive Engineering Technicians tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Document test results, using cameras, spreadsheets, documents, or other tools; Set up mechanical, hydraulic, or electric test equipment in accordance with engineering specifications, standards, or test procedures; Monitor computer-controlled test equipment, according to written or verbal instructions. They are three of the 12 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 80% 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 Automotive Engineering Technicians, and what do they earn?
36,190 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $74,510 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of 0.0% 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: Automotive Engineering Technicians. 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/automotive-engineering-technicians
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