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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Nanosystems Engineers?
Task-level automation exposure for Nanosystems Engineers: 25 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
46%
weighted task index
25 of 25 tasks scored
Median Salary
$122,930 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
154,070 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+3.7%
employment change
8,800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 53 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$76,100 – $162,070
Highest medians
New Mexico $162,070
Alabama $152,550
District of Columbia $151,920
Virginia $148,160
Alaska $142,390
Lowest medians
Kansas $76,100
Arkansas $76,940
Puerto Rico $81,370
Nebraska $88,490
Tennessee $96,640
State figures come from the 17-2199 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 46%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 6%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 54%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 11%
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 15/100
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
25 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) 35%
8 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 38%
11 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 28%
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
#16540 · Core · 65% automatable
Provide scientific or technical guidance or expertise to scientists, engineers, technologists, technicians, or others, using knowledge of chemical, analytical, or biological processes as applied to micro and nanoscale systems.
decision support — Technical guidance needs context-specific human judgment
Provide technical guidance to other personnel.
#16532 · Core · 30% automatable
Supervise technologists or technicians engaged in nanotechnology research or production.
interpersonal — Supervising engineers needs accountability and motivation
Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
#16546 · Core · 45% automatable
Conduct research related to a range of nanotechnology topics, such as packaging, heat transfer, fluorescence detection, nanoparticle dispersion, hybrid systems, liquid systems, nanocomposites, nanofabrication, optoelectronics, or nanolithography.
information retrieval — Tech landscape synthesis aided; prototyping human
Research engineering applications of emerging technologies.
#16533 · Core · 8% automatable
Synthesize, process, or characterize nanomaterials, using advanced tools or techniques.
physical manipulation — Microscopic precision control is fine manual dexterity
Operate precision equipment to control microscopic or nanoscopic processes.
#16537 · Core · 69% automatable
Prepare reports, deliver presentations, or participate in program review activities to communicate engineering results or recommendations.
text generation — Generate operational reports from structured data
Prepare operational reports. Explain engineering drawings, specifications, or other technical information.
#16542 · Core · 45% automatable
Design or conduct tests of new nanotechnology products, processes, or systems.
decision support — Protocols drafted; scientific validity human-owned
Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment. Devise research or testing protocols.
#16545 · Core · 19% automatable
Create designs or prototypes for nanosystem applications, such as biomedical delivery systems or atomic force microscopes.
decision support — Nano-scale design needs lab synthesis and physical validation
Design micro- or nano-scale materials, devices, or systems. Create physical models or prototypes.
#16531 · Core · 68% automatable
Write proposals to secure external funding or to partner with other companies.
text generation — Assemble proposal documents from provided content
Prepare proposal documents.
#16536 · Core · 30% automatable
Generate high-resolution images or measure force-distance curves, using techniques such as atomic force microscopy.
physical manipulation — Physical/chemical property testing by hand
Measure physical or chemical properties of materials or objects.
#16539 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop processes or identify equipment needed for pilot or commercial nanoscale scale production.
text generation — AI drafts technical methods; expert validates feasibility
Develop technical methods or processes.
#16535 · Core · 70% automatable
Provide technical guidance or support to customers on topics such as nanosystem start-up, maintenance, or use.
information retrieval — Product-use advice is largely informational with review
Advise customers on the use of products or services.
#16541 · Core · 60% automatable
Engineer production processes for specific nanotechnology applications, such as electroplating, nanofabrication, or epoxy.
text generation — AI drafts technical methods; expert validates feasibility
Develop technical methods or processes.
#19669 · Core · 35% automatable
Apply nanotechnology to improve the performance or reduce the environmental impact of energy products, such as fuel cells or solar cells.
decision support — AI assists system design; engineering and site validation human
Design alternative energy systems.
#16534 · Core · 70% automatable
Identify new applications for existing nanotechnologies.
text generation — AI generates application ideas from technology knowledge
Identify new applications for existing technologies.
#16544 · Core · 45% automatable
Design or engineer nanomaterials, nanodevices, nano-enabled products, or nanosystems, using three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) software.
decision support — AI aids concept and specs; industrial design needs engineering validation
Design materials for industrial or commercial applications.
#19671 · Core · 22% automatable
Design nano-enabled products with reduced toxicity, increased durability, or improved energy efficiency.
decision support — Nano-scale design needs lab synthesis and physical validation
Design micro- or nano-scale materials, devices, or systems.
#16543 · Core · 50% automatable
Coordinate or supervise the work of suppliers or vendors in the designing, building, or testing of nanosystem devices, such as lenses or probes.
interpersonal — Cross-party coordination aided; humans own commitments
Coordinate activities with suppliers, contractors, clients, or other departments.
#19670 · Supplemental · 52% automatable
Design nano-based manufacturing processes to minimize water, chemical, or energy use, as well as to reduce waste production.
text generation — Process methods drafted; materials validation human
Develop operational methods or processes that use green materials or emphasize sustainability.
#19673 · Supplemental · 52% automatable
Design nanosystems with components such as nanocatalysts or nanofiltration devices to clean specific pollutants from hazardous waste sites.
text generation — Process methods drafted; materials validation human
Develop operational methods or processes that use green materials or emphasize sustainability.
#16538 · Supplemental · 65% automatable
Prepare nanotechnology-related invention disclosures or patent applications.
text generation — Draft disclosures; legal accountability human
Prepare contracts, disclosures, or applications.
#19677 · Supplemental · 40% automatable
Reengineer nanomaterials to improve biodegradability.
data analysis — Modeling aided; experimental validation human
Research engineering aspects of biological or chemical processes.
#19676 · Supplemental · 22% automatable
Integrate nanotechnology with antimicrobial properties into products, such as household or medical appliances, to reduce the development of bacteria or other microbes.
decision support — Nano-scale design needs lab synthesis and physical validation
Design micro- or nano-scale materials, devices, or systems.
#19674 · Supplemental · 52% automatable
Develop catalysis or other green chemistry methods to synthesize nanomaterials, such as nanotubes, nanocrystals, nanorods, or nanowires.
text generation — Process methods drafted; materials validation human
Develop operational methods or processes that use green materials or emphasize sustainability.
#19672 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Design nanoparticle catalysts to detect or remove chemical or other pollutants from water, soil, or air.
decision support — AI aids concept and specs; industrial design needs engineering validation
Design materials for industrial or commercial applications.
#19675 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Develop green building nanocoatings, such as self-cleaning, anti-stain, depolluting, anti-fogging, anti-icing, antimicrobial, moisture-resistant, or ultraviolet protectant coatings.
decision support — AI aids concept and specs; industrial design needs engineering validation
Design materials for industrial or commercial 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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