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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Biological Technicians?
Task-level automation exposure for Biological Technicians: 18 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
38%
weighted task index
18 of 18 tasks scored
Median Salary
$57,510 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
69,620 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+7.4%
employment change
9,400 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 53 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$41,300 – $71,440
Highest medians
California $71,440
New Jersey $66,040
District of Columbia $64,770
Connecticut $62,360
Massachusetts $62,070
Lowest medians
South Dakota $41,300
Idaho $42,130
Guam $44,950
Rhode Island $45,530
Wyoming $46,480
State figures come from the 19-4021 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 38%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 25%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 18%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 13%
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 33/100
Moderate
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
18 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) 17%
3 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 47%
9 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 35%
6 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
#3741 · Core · 8% automatable
Conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals.
physical manipulation — Physical collection of biological specimens
Collect biological specimens.
#3749 · Core · 45% automatable
Monitor and observe experiments, recording production and test data for evaluation by research personnel.
decision support — Conformance checking aided by AI, but on-site verification is human
Monitor operational procedures in technical environments to ensure conformance to standards.
#3750 · Core · 35% automatable
Examine animals and specimens to detect the presence of disease or other problems.
physical manipulation — Examining live organisms needs hands-on lab work
Examine characteristics or behavior of living organisms.
#20981 · Core · 82% automatable
Input data into databases.
data analysis — Record research or operational data into schemas
Record research or operational data.
#3739 · Core · 8% automatable
Isolate, identify and prepare specimens for examination.
physical manipulation — Hands-on sample preparation
Prepare biological samples for testing or analysis.
#3738 · Core · 45% automatable
Monitor laboratory work to ensure compliance with set standards.
decision support — Conformance checking aided by AI, but on-site verification is human
Monitor operational procedures in technical environments to ensure conformance to standards.
#3737 · Core · 82% automatable
Keep detailed logs of all work-related activities.
data analysis — Record research or operational data into schemas
Record research or operational data.
#3740 · Core · 30% automatable
Use computers, computer-interfaced equipment, robotics or high-technology industrial applications to perform work duties.
physical manipulation — Operating computers is physical interface work
Operate computers or computerized equipment.
#3748 · Core · 48% automatable
Measure or weigh compounds and solutions for use in testing or animal feed.
data analysis — Weight/volume calculations from given data
Calculate weights, volumes or other characteristics of materials. Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
#3744 · Core · 8% automatable
Clean, maintain and prepare supplies and work areas.
physical manipulation — Physical cleaning of varied objects
Clean objects.
#3742 · Core · 8% automatable
Set up, adjust, calibrate, clean, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory and field equipment.
physical manipulation — Physical lab equipment setup
Set up laboratory or field equipment.
#3746 · Core · 35% automatable
Conduct standardized biological, microbiological or biochemical tests and laboratory analyses to evaluate the quantity or quality of physical or chemical substances in food or other products.
physical manipulation — Chemical analysis requires instruments and hands
Analyze chemical compounds or substances.
#20982 · Core · 75% automatable
Place orders for laboratory equipment and supplies.
decision support — Ordering via systems automatable; human approves spend
Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
#3745 · Supplemental · 42% automatable
Participate in the research, development, or manufacturing of medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations.
data analysis — Analysis aided; bench experiments need human hands
Research microbiological or chemical processes or structures. Conduct research to gain information about products or processes.
#3752 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Feed livestock or laboratory animals.
physical manipulation — Plant/animal care is physical work with living things
Care for plants or animals.
#3747 · Supplemental · 56% automatable
Analyze experimental data and interpret results to write reports and summaries of findings.
data analysis — Interprets data; domain expert validates meaning
Research microbiological or chemical processes or structures. Interpret research or operational data.
#3751 · Supplemental · 40% automatable
Conduct or supervise operational programs, such as fish hatcheries, greenhouses and livestock production programs.
information retrieval — Literature research strong; farm observation human
Research livestock management methods. Coordinate forestry or agricultural activities. Manage agricultural or forestry operations.
#3743 · Supplemental · 47% automatable
Provide technical support and services for scientists and engineers working in fields such as agriculture, environmental science, resource management, biology, and health sciences.
decision support — AI assists analysis; hands-on research human
Collaborate on research activities with scientists or technical specialists. Assist engineers or scientists with research.
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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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