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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Computer Systems Engineers/Architects?
Task-level automation exposure for Computer Systems Engineers/Architects: 28 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
61%
weighted task index
28 of 28 tasks scored
Median Salary
$116,580 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Very High
435,370 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.1%
employment change
27,000 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 54 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$60,470 – $156,590
Highest medians
District of Columbia $156,590
Maryland $144,680
Colorado $139,580
Virginia $139,030
Delaware $137,470
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $60,470
Tennessee $76,470
Guam $76,770
Louisiana $77,000
North Dakota $78,330
State figures come from the 15-1299 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 61%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 4%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 58%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 7%
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 38/100
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
28 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) 58%
17 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 33%
9 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 8%
2 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
#14666 · Core · 55% automatable
Communicate with staff or clients to understand specific system requirements.
interpersonal — Collaborative spec-setting requires human negotiation
Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
#14677 · Core · 71% automatable
Investigate system component suitability for specified purposes, and make recommendations regarding component use.
decision support — Drafts sound recommendations; human validates against real systems
Evaluate utility of software or hardware technologies. Recommend changes to improve computer or information systems.
#14674 · Core · 70% automatable
Provide customers or installation teams guidelines for implementing secure systems.
text generation — AI drafts implementation guidelines; human tailors
Develop guidelines for system implementation.
#14676 · Core · 38% automatable
Direct the analysis, development, and operation of complete computer systems.
interpersonal — IT project management is partly AI-assisted but human-owned
Manage information technology projects or system activities.
#14689 · Core · 33% automatable
Direct the installation of operating systems, network or application software, or computer or network hardware.
interpersonal — Coordinating installation involves physical and human oversight
Coordinate software or hardware installation.
#14675 · Core · 85% automatable
Monitor system operation to detect potential problems.
data analysis — AI monitors system metrics and detects anomalies
Monitor computer system performance to ensure proper operation.
#14673 · Core · 68% automatable
Identify system data, hardware, or software components required to meet user needs.
data analysis — IT resource sizing from requirements; human approves
Identify information technology project resource requirements.
#14678 · Core · 31% automatable
Perform ongoing hardware and software maintenance operations, including installing or upgrading hardware or software.
physical manipulation — Software install often needs hands-on machine access
Install computer software. Install computer hardware. Maintain computer hardware.
#14669 · Core · 55% automatable
Verify stability, interoperability, portability, security, or scalability of system architecture.
data analysis — AI interprets test output; human executes tests
Test computer system operations to ensure proper functioning.
#14686 · Core · 49% automatable
Research, test, or verify proper functioning of software patches and fixes.
data analysis — AI interprets test output; human executes tests
Conduct research to gain information about products or processes. Test computer system operations to ensure proper functioning.
#14679 · Core · 45% automatable
Configure servers to meet functional specifications.
decision support — Network config needs physical setup and verification
Configure computer networks.
#14670 · Core · 53% automatable
Collaborate with engineers or software developers to select appropriate design solutions or ensure the compatibility of system components.
interpersonal — Collaborative spec-setting requires human negotiation
Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details. Coordinate project activities with other personnel or departments.
#14683 · Core · 64% automatable
Design and conduct hardware or software tests.
data analysis — AI can run and analyze software performance tests
Test computer hardware performance. Test software performance.
#14685 · Core · 71% automatable
Evaluate existing systems to determine effectiveness, and suggest changes to meet organizational requirements.
decision support — Drafts sound recommendations; human validates against real systems
Evaluate utility of software or hardware technologies. Recommend changes to improve computer or information systems.
#14668 · Core · 82% automatable
Document design specifications, installation instructions, and other system-related information.
text generation — Draft technical specs from given requirements
Document technical specifications or requirements.
#14691 · Core · 70% automatable
Perform security analyses of developed or packaged software components.
data analysis — Security analysis aided; human validates findings
Analyze security of systems, network, or data.
#14672 · Core · 70% automatable
Provide technical guidance or support for the development or troubleshooting of systems.
decision support — Software support is largely diagnosable with human review
Provide technical support for software maintenance or use.
#14681 · Core · 58% automatable
Define and analyze objectives, scope, issues, or organizational impact of information systems.
text generation — Goals drafted; leadership accountability human
Develop organizational goals or objectives.
#14684 · Core · 70% automatable
Establish functional or system standards to address operational requirements, quality requirements, and design constraints.
data analysis — IT performance metrics well-suited to AI
Develop performance metrics or standards related to information technology.
#14682 · Core · 50% automatable
Develop system engineering, software engineering, system integration, or distributed system architectures.
decision support — Integrated systems need human architecture and stakeholder judgment
Design integrated computer systems.
#14667 · Core · 72% automatable
Provide advice on project costs, design concepts, or design changes.
decision support — Drafts sound recommendations; human validates against real systems
Recommend changes to improve computer or information systems.
#14671 · Core · 70% automatable
Evaluate current or emerging technologies to consider factors such as cost, portability, compatibility, or usability.
decision support — Software utility evaluation aided by research and testing
Evaluate utility of software or hardware technologies.
#14680 · Core · 65% automatable
Develop or approve project plans, schedules, or budgets.
text generation — Project plans drafted; scope and risk owned by humans
Develop detailed project plans.
#14687 · Core · 72% automatable
Communicate project information through presentations, technical reports, or white papers.
data analysis — Analytical reports drafted; human validates analysis
Prepare analytical reports. Communicate project information to others.
#14690 · Core · 55% automatable
Train system users in system operation or maintenance.
interpersonal — Software training content AI-generatable, live coaching human
Train others in computer interface or software use.
#14688 · Core · 60% automatable
Complete models and simulations, using manual or automated tools, to analyze or predict system performance under different operating conditions.
text generation — Modeling code drafted; validation and domain framing human
Design computer modeling or simulation programs. Develop models of information or communications systems.
#14693 · Core · 62% automatable
Develop efficient and effective system controllers.
text generation — Design drafts aided; system architecture needs human judgment
Design software applications.
#14692 · Supplemental · 62% automatable
Develop application-specific software.
text generation — Design drafts aided; system architecture needs human judgment
Design software applications.
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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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