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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Photonics Engineers?
Task-level automation exposure for Photonics Engineers: 26 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
52%
weighted task index
26 of 26 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 52%
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 25%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 13%
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 22/100
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
26 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) 36%
8 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 46%
14 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 18%
4 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
#18195 · Core · 72% automatable
Analyze system performance or operational requirements.
data analysis — Evaluates operations from data; human owns conclusions
Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
#18200 · Core · 50% automatable
Develop optical or imaging systems, such as optical imaging products, optical components, image processes, signal process technologies, or optical systems.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#18199 · Core · 23% automatable
Develop or test photonic prototypes or models.
data analysis — AI interprets results; human runs physical tests
Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment. Create physical models or prototypes.
#18194 · Core · 40% automatable
Design, integrate, or test photonics systems or components.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment. Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#18202 · Core · 72% automatable
Assist in the transition of photonic prototypes to production.
text generation — Detailed work plans drafted from specifications
Prepare detailed work plans.
#18205 · Core · 80% automatable
Read current literature, talk with colleagues, continue education, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in the field.
information retrieval — AI tracks technical updates; human validates depth
Update technical knowledge.
#21055 · Core · 72% automatable
Write reports or proposals related to photonics research or development projects.
text generation — Technical reports drafted; human verifies content
Prepare research or technical reports. Write reports or evaluations. Prepare proposal documents.
#18196 · Core · 30% automatable
Conduct testing to determine functionality or optimization or to establish limits of photonics systems or components.
data analysis — AI interprets results; human runs physical tests
Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment.
#18198 · Core · 70% automatable
Determine applications of photonics appropriate to meet product objectives or features.
text generation — AI generates application ideas from technology knowledge
Identify new applications for existing technologies.
#18193 · Core · 40% automatable
Conduct research on new photonics technologies.
data analysis — Design analysis aided; simulation and build human
Research advanced engineering designs or applications.
#18189 · Core · 50% automatable
Design electro-optical sensing or imaging systems.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#21056 · Core · 74% automatable
Document photonics system or component design processes, including objectives, issues, or outcomes.
text generation — Technical reports drafted; human verifies content
Prepare research or technical reports. Write reports or evaluations.
#19664 · Core · 50% automatable
Design photonics products, such as light sources, displays, or photovoltaics, to achieve increased energy efficiency.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#18206 · Core · 40% automatable
Train operators, engineers, or other personnel.
interpersonal — Operational procedure training needs live demonstration
Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
#18188 · Core · 20% automatable
Analyze, fabricate, or test fiber-optic links.
data analysis — AI interprets results; human runs physical tests
Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment. Fabricate devices or components.
#18197 · Core · 50% automatable
Design gas lasers, solid state lasers, infrared, or other light emitting or light sensitive devices.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#18203 · Core · 79% automatable
Create or maintain photonic design histories.
text generation — Draft technical design docs from provided details
Maintain operational records or records systems. Document technical design details.
#18204 · Core · 28% automatable
Oversee or provide expertise on manufacturing, assembly, or fabrication processes.
interpersonal — Industrial production direction is human supervisory control
Direct industrial production activities.
#18192 · Core · 70% automatable
Determine commercial, industrial, scientific, or other uses for electro-optical applications or devices.
text generation — AI generates application ideas from technology knowledge
Identify new applications for existing technologies.
#19665 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Design solar energy photonics or other materials or devices to generate energy.
decision support — AI assists energy system design; engineer accountable
Design energy production or management equipment or systems.
#19663 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Design or redesign optical fibers to minimize energy loss.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#19666 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Develop photonics sensing or manufacturing technologies to improve the efficiency of manufacturing or related processes.
decision support — AI models process systems; engineer validates feasibility
Design industrial processing systems.
#18191 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Develop laser-processed designs, such as laser-cut medical devices.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#19662 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Design or develop new crystals for photonics applications.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#18190 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Design laser machining equipment for purposes such as high-speed ablation.
decision support — AI drafts electronics; engineer validates and tests
Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
#18187 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Select, purchase, set up, operate, or troubleshoot state-of-the-art laser cutting equipment.
decision support — Procurement drafting and comparison; human commits funds
Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects. Operate industrial equipment. Purchase materials, equipment, or other resources.
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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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