AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-4092.00
Will AI replace Forensic Science Technicians?
Forensic Science Technicians: AI can already handle 20 of 24 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 24 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Forensic Science Technicians, from most to least exposed. 20 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analyze data from computers or other digital media sources for evidence related to criminal activity. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Use photographic or video equipment to document evidence or crime scenes. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Testify in court about investigative or analytical methods or findings. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Measure and sketch crime scenes to document evidence. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Visit morgues, examine scenes of crimes, or contact other sources to obtain evidence or information to be used in investigations. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Examine physical evidence, such as hair, biological fluids, fiber, wood, or soil residues to obtain information about its source and composition. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Collect impressions of dust from surfaces to obtain and identify fingerprints. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Determine types of bullets and specific weapons used in shootings. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Examine and analyze blood stain patterns at crime scenes. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Analyze gunshot residue and bullet paths to determine how shootings occurred. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Compare objects, such as tools, with impression marks to determine whether a specific object is responsible for a specific mark. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Identify and quantify drugs or poisons found in biological fluids or tissues, in foods, or at crime scenes. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Examine firearms to determine mechanical condition and legal status, performing restoration work on damaged firearms to obtain information, such as serial numbers. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare solutions, reagents, or sample formulations needed for laboratory work. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Examine footwear, tire tracks, or other types of impressions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Review forensic analysts' reports for technical merit. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Interpret laboratory findings or test results to identify and classify substances, materials, or other evidence collected at crime scenes. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Confer with ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, documents, electronics, medical, chemical, or metallurgical experts concerning evidence and its interpretation. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Use chemicals or other substances to examine latent fingerprint evidence and compare developed prints to those of known persons in databases. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Train new technicians or other personnel on forensic science techniques. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Operate and maintain laboratory equipment and apparatus. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Reconstruct crime scenes to determine relationships among pieces of evidence. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 24 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 24 of 24. 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 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
- 19,120
- Median annual wage
- $72,060
- Middle half of earners
- $57,830 to $94,520
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +12.8%
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.
- Police Identification and Records Officers 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure33
- Chemical Technicians 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure52
- Digital Forensics Analysts 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure61
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure33
- Bioinformatics Technicians 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure62
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Forensic Science Technicians and AI
Will AI replace Forensic Science Technicians?
AI already handles 20 of the 24 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 66 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 +12.8% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Forensic Science Technicians?
66 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 24 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 24 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Forensic Science Technicians tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Analyze data from computers or other digital media sources for evidence related to criminal activity; Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity; Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques. They are three of the 20 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-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 Forensic Science Technicians, and what do they earn?
19,120 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $72,060 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +12.8% 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: Forensic Science 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/forensic-science-technicians
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