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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers?
Task-level automation exposure for Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
57%
weighted task index
30 of 30 tasks scored
Median Salary
$109,370 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
23,480 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+7.6%
employment change
1,200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 38 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$67,850 – $141,230
Highest medians
Arizona $141,230
Idaho $133,750
California $128,310
Minnesota $127,730
Massachusetts $127,570
Lowest medians
Arkansas $67,850
Puerto Rico $80,210
Iowa $81,710
Nebraska $83,890
Louisiana $84,320
State figures come from the 17-2031 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 57%
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 44%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 12%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 4/100
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
30 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) 59%
17 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 30%
10 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 11%
3 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 →Constituent Tasks
#8968 · Core · 60% automatable
Evaluate the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of biomedical equipment.
data analysis — Equipment specs analysis aided; physical testing human
Evaluate characteristics of equipment or systems.
#21856 · Core · 72% automatable
Prepare technical reports, data summary documents, or research articles for scientific publication, regulatory submissions, or patent applications.
text generation — Internal technical reports drafted; human reviews
Prepare technical reports for internal use. Prepare contracts, disclosures, or applications.
#21847 · Core · 28% automatable
Design or develop medical diagnostic or clinical instrumentation, equipment, or procedures, using the principles of engineering and biobehavioral sciences.
decision support — AI assists concepts; device design requires regulatory and physical testing
Design medical devices or appliances.
#8975 · Core · 40% automatable
Conduct research, along with life scientists, chemists, and medical scientists, on the engineering aspects of the biological systems of humans and animals.
data analysis — Modeling aided; experimental validation human
Research engineering aspects of biological or chemical processes.
#8979 · Core · 72% automatable
Adapt or design computer hardware or software for medical science uses.
text generation — Code generation strong; human architects and reviews
Develop software or computer applications.
#21853 · Core · 75% automatable
Maintain databases of experiment characteristics or results.
data analysis — Maintain records systems; human owns integrity
Maintain operational records or records systems.
#21851 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop statistical models or simulations, using statistical or modeling software.
data analysis — AI builds computational models; engineer validates assumptions
Create models of engineering designs or methods.
#21857 · Core · 80% automatable
Read current scientific or trade literature to stay abreast of scientific, industrial, or technological advances.
information retrieval — AI tracks technical updates; human validates depth
Update technical knowledge.
#21854 · Core · 30% automatable
Manage teams of engineers by creating schedules, tracking inventory, creating or using budgets, or overseeing contract obligations or deadlines.
interpersonal — Supervising engineers needs accountability and motivation
Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
#8973 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop models or computer simulations of human biobehavioral systems to obtain data for measuring or controlling life processes.
data analysis — AI builds computational models; engineer validates assumptions
Create models of engineering designs or methods.
#21846 · Core · 40% automatable
Design or conduct follow-up experimentation, based on generated data, to meet established process objectives.
data analysis — Modeling aided; experimental validation human
Research engineering aspects of biological or chemical processes.
#18604 · Core · 78% automatable
Write documents describing protocols, policies, standards for use, maintenance, and repair of medical equipment.
text generation — Draft procedural documents from provided content
Prepare procedural documents.
#21841 · Core · 62% automatable
Communicate with bioregulatory authorities regarding licensing or compliance responsibilities.
text generation — Technical communication drafting well-supported
Communicate technical information to suppliers, contractors, or regulatory agencies.
#21850 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop methodologies for transferring procedures or biological processes from laboratories to commercial-scale manufacturing production.
text generation — AI drafts technical methods; expert validates feasibility
Develop technical methods or processes.
#21840 · Core · 55% automatable
Collaborate with manufacturing or quality assurance staff to prepare product specification or safety sheets, standard operating procedures, user manuals, or qualification and validation reports.
interpersonal — Conferring with technical staff on plans is relational work
Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
#8972 · Core · 40% automatable
Research new materials to be used for products, such as implanted artificial organs.
data analysis — Modeling aided; experimental validation human
Research engineering aspects of biological or chemical processes.
#21855 · Core · 70% automatable
Prepare project plans for equipment or facility improvements, including time lines, budgetary estimates, or capital spending requests.
text generation — Detailed work plans drafted from specifications
Estimate operational costs. Estimate time requirements for development or production projects. Prepare detailed work plans.
#21844 · Core · 55% automatable
Consult with chemists or biologists to develop or evaluate novel technologies.
interpersonal — Conferring with technical staff on plans is relational work
Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
#21843 · Core · 55% automatable
Confer with research and biomanufacturing personnel to ensure the compatibility of design and production.
interpersonal — Conferring with technical staff on plans is relational work
Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
#21858 · Core · 68% automatable
Recommend process formulas, instrumentation, or equipment specifications, based on results of bench or pilot experimentation.
decision support — Proposes design changes; human validates feasibility
Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
#21842 · Core · 62% automatable
Communicate with suppliers regarding the design or specifications of bioproduction equipment, instrumentation, or materials.
text generation — Technical communication drafting well-supported
Communicate technical information to suppliers, contractors, or regulatory agencies.
#18603 · Core · 40% automatable
Conduct training or in-services to educate clinicians and other personnel on proper use of equipment.
interpersonal — Operational procedure training needs live demonstration
Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
#8970 · Core · 70% automatable
Advise hospital administrators on the planning, acquisition, and use of medical equipment.
information retrieval — Product-use advice is largely informational with review
Advise customers on the use of products or services.
#8980 · Supplemental · 72% automatable
Analyze new medical procedures to forecast likely outcomes.
data analysis — Evaluates operations from data; human owns conclusions
Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
#21845 · Supplemental · 28% automatable
Design and deliver technology, such as prosthetic devices, to assist people with disabilities.
decision support — AI assists concepts; device design requires regulatory and physical testing
Design medical devices or appliances.
#21839 · Supplemental · 68% automatable
Advise manufacturing staff regarding problems with fermentation, filtration, or other bioproduction processes.
decision support — Proposes design changes; human validates feasibility
Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
#21859 · Supplemental · 40% automatable
Review existing manufacturing processes to identify opportunities for yield improvement or reduced process variation.
data analysis — Modeling aided; experimental validation human
Research engineering aspects of biological or chemical processes.
#21849 · Supplemental · 52% automatable
Develop bioremediation processes to reduce pollution, protect the environment, or treat waste products.
text generation — Process methods drafted; materials validation human
Develop operational methods or processes that use green materials or emphasize sustainability.
#21852 · Supplemental · 40% automatable
Lead studies to examine or recommend changes in process sequences or operation protocols.
data analysis — Modeling aided; experimental validation human
Research engineering aspects of biological or chemical processes.
#21848 · Supplemental · 60% automatable
Design or direct bench or pilot production experiments to determine the scale of production methods that optimize product yield and minimize production costs.
decision support — Protocols drafted; scientific validity human-owned
Devise research or testing protocols.
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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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