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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Molecular and Cellular Biologists?
Task-level automation exposure for Molecular and Cellular Biologists: 22 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
47%
weighted task index
22 of 22 tasks scored
Median Salary
$98,920 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
55,850 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+4.7%
employment change
4,300 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.
$63,290 – $121,680
Highest medians
Maryland $121,680
California $113,530
Delaware $113,400
Connecticut $111,940
Washington $108,110
Lowest medians
Missouri $63,290
Louisiana $69,590
South Dakota $73,920
Nevada $74,210
Puerto Rico $76,400
State figures come from the 19-1029 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 47%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 5%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 62%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 16%
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 19/100
Low
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
22 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) 22%
5 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 53%
12 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 24%
5 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
#16807 · Core · 82% automatable
Maintain accurate laboratory records and data.
data analysis — Record research or operational data into schemas
Record research or operational data.
#16813 · Core · 50% automatable
Design molecular or cellular laboratory experiments, oversee their execution, and interpret results.
decision support — Research planning needs domain expertise and feasibility
Plan biological research.
#23904 · Core · 55% automatable
Write grant applications to obtain funding.
text generation — Draft grant text; human owns strategy and budget
Write grant proposals. Prepare proposals or grant applications to obtain project funding.
#16805 · Core · 35% automatable
Perform laboratory procedures following protocols including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing, cloning and extraction, ribonucleic acid (RNA) purification, or gel electrophoresis.
physical manipulation — Biological sample analysis needs wet-lab execution
Analyze biological samples.
#16815 · Core · 42% automatable
Conduct research on cell organization and function, including mechanisms of gene expression, cellular bioinformatics, cell signaling, or cell differentiation.
data analysis — Analysis aided; bench experiments need human hands
Research microbiological or chemical processes or structures.
#23905 · Core · 81% automatable
Prepare or review reports, manuscripts, or meeting presentations.
text generation — Proofreading text for accuracy is core LLM strength
Read documents to gather technical information. Proofread documents, records, or other files to ensure accuracy. Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
#16808 · Core · 55% automatable
Instruct undergraduate and graduate students within the areas of cellular or molecular biology.
text generation — Science instruction content AI-assisted; delivery human
Instruct college students in physical or life sciences.
#16810 · Core · 33% automatable
Direct, coordinate, organize, or prioritize biological laboratory activities.
interpersonal — Directing scientific activities needs judgment and leadership
Direct scientific activities.
#16814 · Core · 35% automatable
Compile and analyze molecular or cellular experimental data and adjust experimental designs as necessary.
physical manipulation — Biological sample analysis needs wet-lab execution
Analyze biological samples.
#16809 · Core · 65% automatable
Evaluate new technologies to enhance or complement current research.
decision support — Technology evaluation aided; strategic judgment human
Evaluate new technologies or methods.
#16804 · Core · 28% automatable
Provide scientific direction for project teams regarding the evaluation or handling of devices, drugs, or cells for in vitro and in vivo disease models.
interpersonal — Directing healthcare programs carries clinical accountability
Direct medical science or healthcare programs.
#16802 · Core · 32% automatable
Supervise technical personnel and postdoctoral research fellows.
interpersonal — Technical supervision requires judgment and accountability
Supervise scientific or technical personnel.
#16806 · Core · 20% automatable
Monitor or operate specialized equipment, such as gas chromatographs and high pressure liquid chromatographs, electrophoresis units, thermocyclers, fluorescence activated cell sorters, and phosphorimagers.
physical manipulation — Hands-on lab/field equipment operation with samples
Operate laboratory or field equipment.
#16816 · Core · 62% automatable
Conduct applied research aimed at improvements in areas such as disease testing, crop quality, pharmaceuticals, and the harnessing of microbes to recycle waste.
information retrieval — Crop method research aided; field trials human
Research crop management methods.
#16799 · Core · 50% automatable
Develop guidelines for procedures such as the management of viruses.
decision support — AI drafts care standards; clinical authority decides
Establish standards for medical care.
#16811 · Core · 45% automatable
Develop assays that monitor cell characteristics.
decision support — Biological methods need lab expertise and validation
Develop biological research methods.
#16800 · Core · 35% automatable
Coordinate molecular or cellular research activities with scientists specializing in other fields.
interpersonal — Coordinating research programs is relational leadership
Coordinate cross-disciplinary research programs.
#16796 · Core · 40% automatable
Verify all financial, physical, and human resources assigned to research or development projects are used as planned.
decision support — Resource management aided by AI but human accountable
Manage scientific or technical project resources.
#16798 · Core · 20% automatable
Evaluate new supplies and equipment to ensure operability in specific laboratory settings.
visual inspection — Hands-on verification of equipment functioning
Inspect equipment to ensure proper functioning.
#16797 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Participate in all levels of bioproduct development, including proposing new products, performing market analyses, designing and performing experiments, and collaborating with operations and quality control teams during product launches.
decision support — AI aids product development; prototyping and testing human
Develop new or advanced products or production methods.
#16801 · Supplemental · 56% automatable
Confer with vendors to evaluate new equipment or reagents or to discuss the customization of product lines to meet user requirements.
interpersonal — Discussing design features with staff is relational exchange
Discuss design or technical features of products or services with technical personnel. Collaborate with others to determine design specifications or details.
#16812 · Supplemental · 65% automatable
Design databases, such as mutagenesis libraries.
text generation — Technical DB design drafted; domain validation human
Develop technical or scientific databases.
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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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