AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 49-9099.01
Will AI replace Geothermal Technicians?
Geothermal Technicians: AI can already handle 2 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 Geothermal Technicians, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare and maintain logs, reports, or other documentation of work performed. | Observed | Standard | |
| Calculate heat loss and heat gain factors for residential properties to determine heating and cooling required by installed geothermal systems. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor and adjust operations of geothermal power plant equipment or systems. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Identify and correct malfunctions of geothermal plant equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, or controls. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Collect and record data associated with operating geothermal power plants or well fields. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain electrical switchgear, process controls, transmitters, gauges, and control equipment in accordance with geothermal plant procedures. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain, calibrate, or repair plant instrumentation, control, and electronic devices in geothermal plants. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install and maintain geothermal plant electrical protection equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Design and lay out geothermal heat systems according to property characteristics, heating and cooling requirements, piping and equipment requirements, applicable regulations, or other factors. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Apply coatings or operate systems to mitigate corrosion of geothermal plant equipment or structures. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install and maintain geothermal system instrumentation or controls. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform pre- and post-installation pressure, flow, and related tests of vertical and horizontal geothermal loop piping. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare newly installed geothermal heat systems for operation by flushing, purging, or other actions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install, maintain, or repair ground or water source-coupled heat pumps to heat and cool residential or commercial building air or water. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Operate equipment, such as excavators, backhoes, rock hammers, trench compactors, pavement saws, grout mixers or pumps, geothermal loop reels, and coil tubing units (CTU). | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Adjust power production systems to meet load and distribution demands. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Determine whether emergency or auxiliary systems will be needed to keep properties heated or cooled in extreme weather conditions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Identify equipment options, such as compressors, and make appropriate selections. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Weld piping, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE) piping, using techniques such as butt, socket, side-wall, and electro-fusion welding. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Test water sources for factors, such as flow volume and contaminant presence. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Integrate hot water heater systems with geothermal heat exchange systems. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Determine the type of geothermal loop system most suitable to a specific property and its heating and cooling needs. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dig trenches for system piping to appropriate depths and lay piping in trenches. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Backfill piping trenches to protect pipes from damage. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 24 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 23 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 55% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 64% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 36% 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
- 176,300
- Median annual wage
- $49,230
- Middle half of earners
- $42,170 to $61,900
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +2.4%
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.
- Geothermal Production Managers 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure54
- Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure64
- Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure27
- Hydroelectric Plant Technicians 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure42
- Hydrologic Technicians 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure52
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Geothermal Technicians and AI
Will AI replace Geothermal Technicians?
AI already handles 2 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 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 +2.4% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Geothermal Technicians?
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. 1 of the 24 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 23 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Geothermal Technicians tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Prepare and maintain logs, reports, or other documentation of work performed; Calculate heat loss and heat gain factors for residential properties to determine heating and cooling required by installed geothermal systems. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 55% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 36% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. 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 Geothermal Technicians, and what do they earn?
176,300 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $49,230 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.4% 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: Geothermal 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/geothermal-technicians
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