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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians?
Task-level automation exposure for Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
53%
weighted task index
30 of 30 tasks scored
Median Salary
$74,510 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
36,190 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+1.3%
employment change
3,100 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 45 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$47,660 – $102,800
Highest medians
Louisiana $102,800
New Mexico $97,560
Missouri $92,150
California $87,390
Connecticut $82,660
Lowest medians
West Virginia $47,660
Puerto Rico $51,860
South Dakota $53,670
Kansas $55,390
Florida $59,720
State figures come from the 17-3027 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 53%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 8%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 36%
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 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
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) 45%
14 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 32%
10 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 23%
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
#22072 · Core · 5% automatable
Assemble or disassemble complex mechanical systems.
physical manipulation — Assembling components is physical hands-on work
Assemble equipment or components.
#22082 · Core · 58% automatable
Interpret engineering sketches, specifications, or drawings.
decision support — AI explains specs; contextual engineering judgment human
Explain engineering drawings, specifications, or other technical information.
#1485 · Core · 68% automatable
Calculate required capacities for equipment of proposed system to obtain specified performance and submit data to engineering personnel for approval.
data analysis — Estimates from specs; human validates assumptions and risk
Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
#1476 · Core · 80% automatable
Review project instructions and blueprints to ascertain test specifications, procedures, and objectives, and test nature of technical problems such as redesign.
text generation — Review technical docs to plan work
Review technical documents to plan work.
#22086 · Core · 65% automatable
Provide technical support to other employees regarding mechanical design, fabrication, testing, or documentation.
decision support — Technical guidance needs context-specific human judgment
Provide technical guidance to other personnel.
#22087 · Core · 25% automatable
Test machines, components, materials, or products to determine characteristics such as performance, strength, or response to stress.
physical manipulation — Material characteristic testing needs physical instruments
Test characteristics of materials or structures.
#1475 · Core · 50% automatable
Draft detail drawing or sketch for drafting room completion or to request parts fabrication by machine, sheet or wood shops.
visual inspection — Drafts equipment graphics; engineering accuracy human
Create graphical representations of mechanical equipment.
#1482 · Core · 72% automatable
Analyze test results in relation to design or rated specifications and test objectives, and modify or adjust equipment to meet specifications.
data analysis — Analyzes validation data; human confirms interpretation
Analyze test or validation data.
#1486 · Core · 82% automatable
Record test procedures and results, numerical and graphical data, and recommendations for changes in product or test methods.
text generation — Document test results from provided data
Document design or operational test results.
#22085 · Core · 66% automatable
Prepare specifications, designs, or sketches for machines, components, or systems related to the generation, transmission, or use of mechanical or fluid energy.
text generation — Draft technical design docs from provided details
Create graphical representations of mechanical equipment. Document technical design details.
#1487 · Core · 60% automatable
Read dials and meters to determine amperage, voltage, electrical output and input at specific operating temperature to analyze parts performance.
data analysis — Efficiency metrics are digital and analyzable by AI
Monitor the productivity or efficiency of industrial operations.
#22077 · Core · 45% automatable
Design molds, tools, dies, jigs, or fixtures for use in manufacturing processes.
decision support — AI drafts equipment designs; engineer owns manufacturability
Design industrial equipment.
#1477 · Core · 80% automatable
Review project instructions and specifications to identify, modify and plan requirements fabrication, assembly and testing.
text generation — Review technical docs to plan work
Review technical documents to plan work.
#22078 · Core · 45% automatable
Design specialized or customized equipment, machines, or structures.
decision support — AI drafts equipment designs; engineer owns manufacturability
Design industrial equipment.
#22075 · Core · 73% automatable
Conduct failure analyses, document results, and recommend corrective actions.
text generation — Document test results from provided data
Conduct quantitative failure analyses of operational data. Document design or operational test results. Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
#1480 · Core · 30% automatable
Set up and conduct tests of complete units and components under operational conditions to investigate proposals for improving equipment performance.
data analysis — AI interprets results; human runs physical tests
Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment.
#22073 · Core · 35% automatable
Assist engineers to design, develop, test, or manufacture industrial machinery, consumer products, or other equipment.
decision support — AI drafts equipment designs; engineer owns manufacturability
Test products for functionality or quality. Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment. Design industrial equipment.
#22084 · Core · 55% automatable
Prepare layouts of machinery, tools, plants, or equipment.
text generation — Drafting diagrams aided; engineering validity needs human
Create graphical representations of industrial production systems.
#22083 · Core · 72% automatable
Prepare equipment inspection schedules, reliability schedules, work plans, or other records.
decision support — Algorithmic scheduling with human oversight of constraints
Schedule operational activities.
#1489 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Set up prototype and test apparatus and operate test controlling equipment to observe and record prototype test results.
physical manipulation — Functional product testing is hands-on
Test products for functionality or quality.
#1483 · Supplemental · 60% automatable
Evaluate tool drawing designs by measuring drawing dimensions and comparing with original specifications for form and function using engineering skills.
decision support — Design quality evaluation needs engineering judgment
Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.
#22070 · Supplemental · 58% automatable
Analyze energy requirements and distribution systems to maximize the use of intermittent or inflexible renewable energy sources, such as wind or nuclear.
decision support — Green-tech design requirements; specialist judgment needed
Analyze green technology design requirements.
#1474 · Supplemental · 57% automatable
Prepare parts sketches and write work orders and purchase requests to be furnished by outside contractors.
text generation — Draft disclosures; legal accountability human
Create graphical representations of mechanical equipment. Prepare contracts, disclosures, or applications.
#1488 · Supplemental · 68% automatable
Estimate cost factors including labor and material for purchased and fabricated parts and costs for assembly, testing, or installing.
data analysis — Operational cost estimation from data
Estimate operational costs.
#22074 · Supplemental · 48% automatable
Assist mechanical engineers in product testing through activities such as setting up instrumentation for automobile crash tests.
decision support — AI assists analysis; hands-on research human
Assist engineers or scientists with research.
#22076 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Conduct statistical studies to analyze or compare production costs for sustainable and nonsustainable designs.
data analysis — Cost-benefit analysis from given inputs; human reviews
Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.
#22071 · Core · 68% automatable
Analyze or estimate production costs, such as labor, equipment, and plant space.
data analysis — Operational cost estimation from data
Estimate operational costs.
#22079 · Core · 20% automatable
Devise, fabricate, or assemble new or modified mechanical components for products such as industrial machinery or equipment, and measuring instruments.
decision support — AI drafts equipment designs; engineer owns manufacturability
Assemble mechanical components or machine parts. Fabricate devices or components. Design industrial equipment.
#22080 · Core · 52% automatable
Discuss changes in design, method of manufacture and assembly, or drafting techniques and procedures with staff and coordinate corrections.
interpersonal — Iterative design collaboration needs human judgment and presence
Collaborate with others to develop or refine designs.
#23944 · Core · 30% automatable
Monitor, inspect, or test mechanical equipment.
data analysis — AI interprets results; human runs physical tests
Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment.
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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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