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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Regulatory Affairs Specialists?
Task-level automation exposure for Regulatory Affairs Specialists: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
67%
weighted task index
30 of 30 tasks scored
Median Salary
$80,730 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Very High
417,070 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+3.8%
employment change
32,700 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 54 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$48,950 – $111,030
Highest medians
District of Columbia $111,030
Massachusetts $102,060
New Jersey $100,000
California $96,980
Connecticut $91,810
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $48,950
Oklahoma $63,000
Tennessee $63,960
West Virginia $64,270
Arkansas $64,680
State figures come from the 13-1041 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 67%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 0%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 60%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 19%
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 11/100
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
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) 76%
22 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 24%
8 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 0%
0 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
#18048 · Core · 71% automatable
Coordinate, prepare, or review regulatory submissions for domestic or international projects.
text generation — Track and draft regulatory documentation; human verifies
Prepare regulatory or compliance documentation. Coordinate regulatory documentation activities.
#18045 · Core · 55% automatable
Communicate with regulatory agencies regarding pre-submission strategies, potential regulatory pathways, compliance test requirements, or clarification and follow-up of submissions under review.
information retrieval — Documentation research aided; formal filing human
Obtain documentation to authorize activities.
#18058 · Core · 80% automatable
Maintain current knowledge base of existing and emerging regulations, standards, or guidance documents.
information retrieval — AI tracks regulatory changes; human confirms applicability
Update knowledge of legal or regulatory environments.
#18070 · Core · 78% automatable
Review adverse drug reactions and file all related reports in accordance with regulatory agency guidelines.
information retrieval — Product compliance check against regulations, human verifies
Examine product information to ensure compliance with regulations.
#18054 · Core · 72% automatable
Coordinate efforts associated with the preparation of regulatory documents or submissions.
text generation — Track and draft regulatory documentation; human verifies
Coordinate regulatory documentation activities.
#18061 · Core · 72% automatable
Prepare or direct the preparation of additional information or responses as requested by regulatory agencies.
text generation — Track and draft regulatory documentation; human verifies
Coordinate regulatory documentation activities.
#18055 · Core · 65% automatable
Determine the types of regulatory submissions or internal documentation that are required in situations such as proposed device changes or labeling changes.
information retrieval — Law-to-activity mapping; human owns compliance
Evaluate applicable laws and regulations to determine impact on organizational activities.
#18062 · Core · 70% automatable
Prepare or maintain technical files as necessary to obtain and sustain product approval.
text generation — Draft regulatory docs; human owns compliance
Prepare regulatory or compliance documentation.
#18067 · Core · 40% automatable
Coordinate recall or market withdrawal activities as necessary.
interpersonal — Overseeing business processes requires human accountability
Oversee business processes.
#21095 · Core · 55% automatable
Provide pre-, ongoing, and post-inspection follow-up assistance to governmental inspectors.
text generation — Drafting agency communications aided; relationships human
Communicate with government agencies.
#24014 · Core · 63% automatable
Develop regulatory strategies for products.
text generation — Draft regulatory docs; human owns compliance
Develop business or market strategies. Prepare regulatory or compliance documentation.
#21094 · Core · 76% automatable
Identify relevant guidance documents, international standards, or consensus standards.
text generation — Technical documentation compilation, human reviews accuracy
Compile technical information or documentation. Review documents or materials for compliance with policies or regulations. Evaluate applicable laws and regulations to determine impact on organizational activities.
#18052 · Core · 55% automatable
Advise project teams on subjects such as premarket regulatory requirements, export and labeling requirements, or clinical study compliance issues.
decision support — Compliance guidance drafted; human verifies and owns
Advise others on legal or regulatory compliance matters.
#18049 · Core · 62% automatable
Interpret regulatory rules or rule changes and ensure that they are communicated through corporate policies and procedures.
information retrieval — AI explains policies; human handles live questions
Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.
#18050 · Core · 72% automatable
Provide technical review of data or reports to be incorporated into regulatory submissions to assure scientific rigor, accuracy, and clarity of presentation.
text generation — Track and draft regulatory documentation; human verifies
Coordinate regulatory documentation activities.
#18051 · Core · 78% automatable
Review product promotional materials, labeling, batch records, specification sheets, or test methods for compliance with applicable regulations and policies.
information retrieval — Product compliance check against regulations, human verifies
Examine product information to ensure compliance with regulations.
#18065 · Core · 65% automatable
Review clinical protocols to ensure collection of data needed for regulatory submissions.
information retrieval — Law-to-activity mapping; human owns compliance
Evaluate applicable laws and regulations to determine impact on organizational activities.
#18060 · Core · 60% automatable
Participate in internal or external audits.
data analysis — Analyzes records and processes; human confirms conclusions
Examine financial records or processes.
#18053 · Core · 85% automatable
Compile and maintain regulatory documentation databases or systems.
data analysis — Enter and maintain data in information systems
Maintain data in information systems or databases.
#18063 · Core · 55% automatable
Recommend changes to company procedures in response to changes in regulations or standards.
decision support — Compliance guidance drafted; human verifies and owns
Advise others on legal or regulatory compliance matters.
#18059 · Core · 80% automatable
Obtain and distribute updated information regarding domestic or international laws, guidelines, or standards.
information retrieval — AI tracks regulatory changes; human confirms applicability
Update knowledge of legal or regulatory environments.
#18056 · Core · 55% automatable
Develop or conduct employee regulatory training.
text generation — Procedural training content AI-assisted; delivery human
Train personnel in organizational or compliance procedures.
#18066 · Core · 69% automatable
Write or update standard operating procedures, work instructions, or policies.
text generation — Standard financial documents drafted from data
Establish organizational guidelines or policies. Prepare financial documents.
#18068 · Core · 72% automatable
Develop or track quality metrics.
data analysis — Business indicator dashboards are AI-monitorable with human review
Monitor business indicators.
#18064 · Core · 72% automatable
Prepare responses to customer requests for information, such as product data, written regulatory affairs statements, surveys, or questionnaires.
text generation — Written correspondence to customers is largely automatable
Correspond with customers to answer questions or resolve complaints.
#21096 · Supplemental · 59% automatable
Recommend adjudication of product complaints.
data analysis — Diagnoses operational problems from data; human acts
Investigate system, equipment, or product failures. Analyze data to identify or resolve operational problems. Recommend changes or corrective procedures.
#19554 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Determine the legal implications of the production, supply, or use of ozone-depleting substances or equipment containing such substances.
information retrieval — Regulation-to-compliance mapping; human verifies
Analyze environmental regulations to ensure organizational compliance.
#19553 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Determine requirements applying to treatment, storage, shipment, or disposal of potentially hazardous production-related waste.
information retrieval — Regulation-to-compliance mapping; human verifies
Analyze environmental regulations to ensure organizational compliance.
#19552 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Determine regulations or procedures related to the management, collection, reuse, recovery, or recycling of packaging waste.
information retrieval — Regulation-to-compliance mapping; human verifies
Analyze environmental regulations to ensure organizational compliance.
#18069 · Supplemental · 40% automatable
Direct the collection and preparation of laboratory samples as requested by regulatory agencies.
interpersonal — Overseeing business processes requires human accountability
Oversee business processes.
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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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