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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Forensic Science Technicians?
Task-level automation exposure for Forensic Science Technicians: 24 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
24 of 24 tasks scored
Median Salary
$72,060 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
19,120 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+13.3%
employment change
2,800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 41 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$44,670 – $124,790
Highest medians
Illinois $124,790
California $102,100
Connecticut $85,910
Colorado $84,010
Montana $82,200
Lowest medians
Arkansas $44,670
South Dakota $51,690
South Carolina $51,830
Wyoming $52,100
Mississippi $52,850
State figures come from the 19-4092 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 9%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 63%
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 47/100
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
24 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) 13%
3 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 54%
13 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 34%
8 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.
- New 08/2023 · Incumbent
Enter data into databases.
- New 05/2025 · AI/SME
Operate drones to capture aerial footage or photographs of crime scenes for further analysis.
Constituent Tasks
#1577 · Core · 40% automatable
Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#18478 · Core · 77% automatable
Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques.
data analysis — Record research or operational data into schemas
Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations. Record research or operational data.
#20399 · Core · 22% automatable
Use photographic or video equipment to document evidence or crime scenes.
physical manipulation — Operating cameras at events is hands-on
Document events or evidence, using photographic or audiovisual equipment.
#1571 · Core · 15% automatable
Testify in court about investigative or analytical methods or findings.
interpersonal — Testimony carries legal accountability and live presence
Testify at legal or legislative proceedings.
#18479 · Core · 40% automatable
Use chemicals or other substances to examine latent fingerprint evidence and compare developed prints to those of known persons in databases.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#23965 · Core · 21% automatable
Measure and sketch crime scenes to document evidence.
physical manipulation — Evidence collection is fieldwork with chain of custody
Collect evidence for legal proceedings. Examine crime scenes to obtain evidence. Measure distances or dimensions.
#1584 · Core · 40% automatable
Visit morgues, examine scenes of crimes, or contact other sources to obtain evidence or information to be used in investigations.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#18481 · Core · 40% automatable
Train new technicians or other personnel on forensic science techniques.
interpersonal — Technical procedure training needs live demonstration and correction
Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
#1574 · Core · 19% automatable
Operate and maintain laboratory equipment and apparatus.
physical manipulation — Hands-on lab/field equipment operation with samples
Operate laboratory or field equipment. Maintain laboratory or technical equipment.
#1582 · Core · 40% automatable
Collect impressions of dust from surfaces to obtain and identify fingerprints.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#18482 · Core · 40% automatable
Examine and analyze blood stain patterns at crime scenes.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#1583 · Core · 40% automatable
Analyze gunshot residue and bullet paths to determine how shootings occurred.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#1589 · Core · 43% automatable
Confer with ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, documents, electronics, medical, chemical, or metallurgical experts concerning evidence and its interpretation.
interpersonal — Research collaboration is iterative human teamwork
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes. Collaborate on research activities with scientists or technical specialists.
#1575 · Core · 8% automatable
Prepare solutions, reagents, or sample formulations needed for laboratory work.
physical manipulation — Physical solution preparation
Prepare compounds or solutions for products or testing.
#23966 · Core · 8% automatable
Examine footwear, tire tracks, or other types of impressions.
physical manipulation — Crime scene examination is physical, situated work
Examine crime scenes to obtain evidence.
#23967 · Supplemental · 35% automatable
Examine physical evidence, such as hair, biological fluids, fiber, wood, or soil residues to obtain information about its source and composition.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes. Analyze crime scene evidence.
#1580 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Reconstruct crime scenes to determine relationships among pieces of evidence.
data analysis — Trend and relationship detection in data
Examine crime scenes to obtain evidence. Analyze data to identify trends or relationships among variables.
#20401 · Supplemental · 40% automatable
Determine types of bullets and specific weapons used in shootings.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#20400 · Supplemental · 83% automatable
Review forensic analysts' reports for technical merit.
data analysis — Data accuracy verification is rule-based and reliable
Verify information or specifications. Verify accuracy of data.
#1573 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Interpret laboratory findings or test results to identify and classify substances, materials, or other evidence collected at crime scenes.
data analysis — Interprets data; domain expert validates meaning
Interpret research or operational data.
#1590 · Supplemental · 40% automatable
Compare objects, such as tools, with impression marks to determine whether a specific object is responsible for a specific mark.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#1578 · Supplemental · 28% automatable
Identify and quantify drugs or poisons found in biological fluids or tissues, in foods, or at crime scenes.
physical manipulation — Biological sample analysis needs wet-lab execution
Test fluids to identify contamination or other problems. Analyze biological samples.
#1587 · Supplemental · 40% automatable
Examine firearms to determine mechanical condition and legal status, performing restoration work on damaged firearms to obtain information, such as serial numbers.
decision support — Forensic analysis assists; examiner owns evidence chain
Analyze forensic evidence to solve crimes.
#23969 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Analyze data from computers or other digital media sources for evidence related to criminal activity.
physical manipulation — Evidence collection is fieldwork with chain of custody
Collect evidence for legal proceedings.
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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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