AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-1029.04
Will AI replace Biologists?
Biologists: AI can already handle 13 of 22 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 22 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Biologists, from most to least exposed. 13 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Review reports and proposals, such as those relating to land use classifications and recreational development, for accuracy, adequacy, or adherence to policies, regulations, or scientific standards. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Develop pest management and control measures, and conduct risk assessments related to pest exclusion, using scientific methods. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Research environmental effects of present and potential uses of land and water areas, determining methods of improving environmental conditions or such outputs as crop yields. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare technical and research reports, such as environmental impact reports, and communicate the results to individuals in industry, government, or the general public. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Supervise biological technicians and technologists and other scientists. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Collect and analyze biological data about relationships among and between organisms and their environment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Study and manage wild animal populations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Write grant proposals to obtain funding for biological research. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Measure salinity, acidity, light, oxygen content, and other physical conditions of water to determine their relationship to aquatic life. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Communicate test results to state and federal representatives and general public. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Represent employer in a technical capacity at conferences. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Study aquatic plants and animals and environmental conditions affecting them, such as radioactivity or pollution. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare plans for management of renewable resources. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop methods and apparatus for securing representative plant, animal, aquatic, or soil samples. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Plan and administer biological research programs for government, research firms, medical industries, or manufacturing firms. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Study reactions of plants, animals, and marine species to parasites. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Identify, classify, and study structure, behavior, ecology, physiology, nutrition, culture, and distribution of plant and animal species. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and function. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Prepare requests for proposals or statements of work. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Teach or supervise students and perform research at universities and colleges. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 4 of 22 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 18 of 22. 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 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
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
- 55,850
- Median annual wage
- $98,920
- Middle half of earners
- $76,800 to $127,670
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +1.2%
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.
- Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists 83% skill overlap, about 6 months to move Exposure48
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure61
- Biological Technicians 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure62
- Biochemists and Biophysicists 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure57
- Microbiologists 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure55
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Biologists and AI
Will AI replace Biologists?
AI already handles 13 of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 56 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 +1.2% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Biologists?
56 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. 4 of the 22 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 18 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Biologists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data; Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings; Review reports and proposals, such as those relating to land use classifications and recreational development, for accuracy, adequacy, or adherence to policies, regulations, or scientific standards. They are three of the 13 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% 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 Biologists, and what do they earn?
55,850 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $98,920 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +1.2% 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: Biologists. 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/biologists
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