AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 17-2141.02

Will AI replace Automotive Engineers?

Automotive Engineers: AI can already handle 4 of 25 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 25 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Automotive Engineers, from most to least exposed. 4 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Provide technical direction to other engineers or engineering support personnel. 95 Observed Frontier 4.2
Develop or implement operating methods or procedures. 74 Observed Frontier 3.7
Conduct automotive design reviews. 65 Estimated Standard 3.6
Write, review, or maintain engineering documentation. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Design or analyze automobile systems in areas such as aerodynamics, alternate fuels, ergonomics, hybrid power, brakes, transmissions, steering, calibration, safety, or diagnostics. 50 Estimated Standard 3.8
Conduct research studies to develop new concepts in the field of automotive engineering. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Alter or modify designs to obtain specified functional or operational performance. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Develop calibration methodologies, test methodologies, or tools. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Create design alternatives for vehicle components, such as camless or dual-clutch engines or alternative air-conditioning systems, to increase fuel efficiency. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Develop engineering specifications or cost estimates for automotive design concepts. 50 Estimated Standard 3.7
Design vehicles that use lighter materials, such as aluminum, magnesium alloy, or plastic, to improve fuel efficiency. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.6
Develop specifications for vehicles powered by alternative fuels or alternative power methods. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.6
Coordinate production activities with other functional units, such as procurement, maintenance, or quality control. 50 Estimated Standard 3.6
Design control systems or algorithms for purposes such as automotive energy management, emissions management, or increased operational safety or performance. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.5
Develop or integrate control feature requirements. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.4
Design vehicles for increased recyclability or use of natural, renewable, or recycled materials in vehicle construction. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.2
Conduct or direct system-level automotive testing. 45 Estimated Standard 4.3
Perform failure, variation, or root cause analyses. 45 Estimated Standard 4.2
Calibrate vehicle systems, including control algorithms or other software systems. 45 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Establish production or quality control standards. 45 Estimated Standard 3.8
Research or implement green automotive technologies involving alternative fuels, electric or hybrid cars, or lighter or more fuel-efficient vehicles. 45 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Research computerized automotive applications, such as telemetrics, intelligent transportation systems, artificial intelligence, or automatic control. 45 Estimated Efficient 3.3
Read current literature, attend meetings or conferences, or talk with colleagues to stay abreast of new automotive technology or competitive products. 45 Estimated Standard 3.2
Prepare or present technical or project status reports. 40 Observed Efficient 3.8
Build models for algorithm or control feature verification testing. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 3 of 25 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 22 of 25. 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 frontier-tier model or lower covers 96% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 96% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 4% 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
296,810
Median annual wage
$104,110
Middle half of earners
$84,130 to $132,590
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+9.1%

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.

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

Questions about Automotive Engineers and AI

Will AI replace Automotive Engineers?

AI already handles 4 of the 25 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 51 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 +9.1% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Automotive Engineers?

51 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. 3 of the 25 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 22 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Automotive Engineers tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Provide technical direction to other engineers or engineering support personnel; Develop or implement operating methods or procedures; Conduct automotive design reviews. They are three of the 4 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 96% 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 Engineers, and what do they earn?

296,810 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $104,110 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +9.1% 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: Automotive Engineers. 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-engineers

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