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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Computer Network Architects?
Task-level automation exposure for Computer Network Architects: 33 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
56%
weighted task index
33 of 33 tasks scored
Median Salary
$134,050 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
179,740 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+7.7%
employment change
9,600 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$78,200 – $168,070
Highest medians
Washington $168,070
New Jersey $162,350
Maryland $159,460
California $158,870
Massachusetts $155,060
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $78,200
Mississippi $90,990
Wyoming $100,520
Kansas $100,610
Iowa $103,050
State figures come from the 15-1241 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 56%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 13%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 46%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 3%
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 30/100
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
33 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) 44%
15 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 48%
15 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 8%
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
#18968 · Core · 65% automatable
Develop disaster recovery plans.
text generation — Contingency plans drafted; organizational ownership human
Maintain contingency plans for disaster recovery.
#18971 · Core · 71% automatable
Develop or recommend network security measures, such as firewalls, network security audits, or automated security probes.
decision support — Drafts sound recommendations; human validates against real systems
Develop computer or information security policies or procedures. Recommend changes to improve computer or information systems.
#18965 · Core · 50% automatable
Develop and implement solutions for network problems.
decision support — Network troubleshooting needs hands-on diagnosis
Resolve computer network problems.
#18977 · Core · 45% automatable
Maintain networks by performing activities such as file addition, deletion, or backup.
decision support — AI configures/diagnoses networks; physical and risky changes need humans
Maintain computer networks to enhance performance and user access.
#18960 · Core · 45% automatable
Coordinate network operations, maintenance, repairs, or upgrades.
decision support — AI configures/diagnoses networks; physical and risky changes need humans
Maintain computer networks to enhance performance and user access.
#18959 · Core · 33% automatable
Coordinate installation of new equipment.
interpersonal — Coordinating installation involves physical and human oversight
Coordinate software or hardware installation.
#18979 · Core · 78% automatable
Monitor and analyze network performance and reports on data input or output to detect problems, identify inefficient use of computer resources, or perform capacity planning.
data analysis — AI monitors network performance via telemetry
Monitor the performance of computer networks. Analyze data to identify or resolve operational problems.
#18969 · Core · 80% automatable
Develop network-related documentation.
text generation — Draft network activity documentation from inputs
Document network-related activities or tasks.
#18966 · Core · 65% automatable
Develop and write procedures for installation, use, or troubleshooting of communications hardware or software.
text generation — AI drafts testing routines; engineer verifies coverage
Develop testing routines or procedures.
#18980 · Core · 47% automatable
Participate in network technology upgrade or expansion projects, including installation of hardware and software and integration testing.
text generation — Performance refactoring largely AI; human tests and approves
Modify software programs to improve performance. Install computer software. Install computer hardware.
#18962 · Core · 48% automatable
Design, build, or operate equipment configuration prototypes, including network hardware, software, servers, or server operation systems.
decision support — Integrated systems need human architecture and stakeholder judgment
Design integrated computer systems. Configure computer networks.
#18956 · Core · 45% automatable
Adjust network sizes to meet volume or capacity demands.
decision support — AI configures/diagnoses networks; physical and risky changes need humans
Maintain computer networks to enhance performance and user access.
#18958 · Core · 55% automatable
Communicate with system users to ensure accounts are set up properly or to diagnose and solve operational problems.
decision support — Diagnoses need live system access and hands-on fixes
Provide technical support for computer network issues.
#18967 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop conceptual, logical, or physical network designs.
data analysis — AI models comms systems; engineer verifies performance
Develop models of information or communications systems.
#18975 · Core · 55% automatable
Evaluate network designs to determine whether customer requirements are met efficiently and effectively.
decision support — Design feasibility review aided, engineer owns judgment
Evaluate project designs to determine adequacy or feasibility.
#18988 · Core · 52% automatable
Communicate with vendors to gather information about products, alert them to future needs, resolve problems, or address system maintenance issues.
decision support — IT troubleshooting collaboration well-supported by AI
Conduct research to gain information about products or processes. Collaborate with others to resolve information technology issues.
#18972 · Core · 50% automatable
Develop plans or budgets for network equipment replacement.
decision support — Resource allocation tradeoffs need human judgment and authority
Manage budgets for appropriate resource allocation.
#18957 · Core · 55% automatable
Communicate with customers, sales staff, or marketing staff to determine customer needs.
interpersonal — Collaborative spec-setting requires human negotiation
Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
#18964 · Core · 60% automatable
Determine specific network hardware or software requirements, such as platforms, interfaces, bandwidths, or routine schemas.
decision support — Network specs drafted; human validates
Develop specifications for computer network operation.
#18982 · Core · 60% automatable
Prepare detailed network specifications, including diagrams, charts, equipment configurations, or recommended technologies.
decision support — Network specs drafted; human validates
Develop specifications for computer network operation.
#18985 · Core · 32% automatable
Supervise engineers or other staff in the design or implementation of network solutions.
interpersonal — IT staff supervision needs human judgment and accountability
Supervise information technology personnel.
#18984 · Core · 49% automatable
Research and test new or modified hardware or software products to determine performance and interoperability.
data analysis — Benchmarking hardware aided by AI, human runs rig
Conduct research to gain information about products or processes. Test computer hardware performance.
#18974 · Core · 68% automatable
Estimate time and materials needed to complete projects.
data analysis — Project time/cost estimation from parameters
Estimate time or monetary resources needed to complete projects.
#18963 · Core · 50% automatable
Design, organize, and deliver product awareness, skills transfer, or product education sessions for staff or suppliers.
interpersonal — Hardware teaching aided by AI guides, human delivers
Teach others to use computer equipment or hardware.
#18976 · Core · 68% automatable
Explain design specifications to integration or test engineers.
text generation — Drafting project updates is AI-assisted; delivery is human
Communicate project information to others.
#18973 · Core · 82% automatable
Develop procedures to track, project, or report network availability, reliability, capacity, or utilization.
data analysis — AI monitors network performance via telemetry
Monitor the performance of computer networks. Analyze website or related online data to track trends or usage.
#18961 · Core · 50% automatable
Coordinate network or design activities with designers of associated networks.
decision support — AI coordinates cross-team plans; human resolves conflicts
Coordinate project activities with other personnel or departments.
#18983 · Core · 45% automatable
Prepare or monitor project schedules, budgets, or cost control systems.
decision support — Resource allocation tradeoffs need human judgment and authority
Manage financial activities of the organization. Manage budgets for appropriate resource allocation.
#18981 · Core · 68% automatable
Prepare design presentations and proposals for staff or customers.
text generation — Drafting project updates is AI-assisted; delivery is human
Communicate project information to others.
#18986 · Core · 60% automatable
Use network computer-aided design (CAD) software packages to optimize network designs.
data analysis — AI models comms systems; engineer verifies performance
Develop models of information or communications systems.
#18987 · Supplemental · 80% automatable
Visit vendors, attend conferences or training sessions, or study technical journals to keep up with changes in technology.
information retrieval — AI scans trend sources; human weighs relevance
Update knowledge about emerging industry or technology trends.
#18970 · Supplemental · 76% automatable
Develop or maintain project reporting systems.
text generation — Organize and check documentation accuracy largely automatable
Develop information communication procedures. Manage documentation to ensure organization or accuracy.
#18978 · Supplemental · 22% automatable
Maintain or coordinate the maintenance of network peripherals, such as printers.
physical manipulation — Physical hardware maintenance and part replacement
Maintain computer hardware.
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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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