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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Astronomers?
Task-level automation exposure for Astronomers: 17 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
52%
weighted task index
17 of 17 tasks scored
Median Salary
$128,820 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
2,120 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+7.8%
employment change
100 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 5 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$102,000 – $132,620
Highest medians
Maryland $132,620
Arizona $129,020
Virginia $128,930
California $123,540
Hawaii $102,000
Lowest medians
Hawaii $102,000
California $123,540
Virginia $128,930
Arizona $129,020
Maryland $132,620
State figures come from the 19-2011 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 52%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 0%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 66%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 11%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 6%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 9/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
17 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 31%
5 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 47%
8 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 22%
4 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- Revision 08/2024 · Occupational Expert
Write and review scientific proposals and research papers.
Replaced: Review scientific proposals and research papers.
Constituent Tasks
#7525 · Core · 75% automatable
Analyze research data to determine its significance, using computers.
data analysis — Operational/research data analysis; human interprets
Analyze operational or research data.
#7526 · Core · 72% automatable
Present research findings at scientific conferences and in papers written for scientific journals.
text generation — Reports drafted; presentations need human delivery
Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
#7524 · Core · 33% automatable
Study celestial phenomena, using a variety of ground-based and space-borne telescopes and scientific instruments.
interpersonal — Directing scientific activities needs judgment and leadership
Direct scientific activities.
#7530 · Core · 45% automatable
Collaborate with other astronomers to carry out research projects.
interpersonal — Research collaboration is iterative human teamwork
Collaborate on research activities with scientists or technical specialists.
#21171 · Core · 53% automatable
Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues.
interpersonal — Career guidance drafted; mentor relationship human
Support the professional development of others. Advise students on academic or career matters.
#21172 · Core · 32% automatable
Supervise students' research on celestial and astronomical phenomena.
interpersonal — Mentoring students requires relationship and judgment
Supervise student research or internship work.
#7532 · Core · 55% automatable
Teach astronomy or astrophysics.
text generation — Science instruction content AI-assisted; delivery human
Instruct college students in physical or life sciences.
#7528 · Core · 40% automatable
Develop theories based on personal observations or on observations and theories of other astronomers.
decision support — Physical theory needs expert scientific judgment
Develop theories or models of physical phenomena.
#7527 · Core · 31% automatable
Measure radio, infrared, gamma, and x-ray emissions from extraterrestrial sources.
physical manipulation — Measuring environmental characteristics needs instruments
Measure environmental characteristics. Measure radiation levels.
#7531 · Core · 62% automatable
Develop instrumentation and software for astronomical observation and analysis.
text generation — Scientific code drafted; domain validation by humans
Develop software or applications for scientific or technical use.
#20049 · Core · 82% automatable
Revision
Review scientific proposals and research papers.
information retrieval — AI can search and summarize literature, human curates
Review professional literature to maintain professional knowledge.
#7529 · Core · 55% automatable
Raise funds for scientific research.
text generation — Draft applications; human owns funding strategy
Prepare proposals or grant applications to obtain project funding.
#7533 · Core · 55% automatable
Develop and modify astronomy-related programs for public presentation.
information retrieval — Technical public assistance partly automatable; trust needs human
Provide technical information or assistance to public.
#20050 · Core · 35% automatable
Serve on professional panels and committees.
interpersonal — Committee service requires presence, negotiation, accountability
Serve on institutional or departmental committees.
#7534 · Core · 60% automatable
Calculate orbits and determine sizes, shapes, brightness, and motions of different celestial bodies.
data analysis — Applies math/statistics to problems; human validates
Measure environmental characteristics. Apply mathematical principles or statistical approaches to solve problems in scientific or applied fields.
#21173 · Core · 55% automatable
Conduct question-and-answer presentations on astronomy topics with public audiences.
information retrieval — Technical public assistance partly automatable; trust needs human
Provide technical information or assistance to public.
#7535 · Supplemental · 33% automatable
Direct the operations of a planetarium.
interpersonal — Directing scientific activities needs judgment and leadership
Direct scientific activities.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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