AI exposure Architecture and engineering
Will AI replace aerospace engineers?
Aerospace Engineers. US occupation 17-2011.
The reading
7.5%
of the time aerospace engineers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of aerospace engineers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 210 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 71% of them.Further along than 71% of them.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.
What AI already does for aerospace engineersWhat aerospace engineers no longer do alone
O*NET lists 14 tasks for aerospace engineers. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.
- Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.Core task automated and assisted 0.84
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
13 of the 14 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Analyze project requests, proposals, or engineering data to determine feasibility, productibility, cost, or production time of aerospace or aeronautical products.Core task
- Diagnose performance problems by reviewing reports or documentation from customers or field engineers or by inspecting malfunctioning or damaged products.Core task
- Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.Core task
- Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.Core task
- Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.Core task
- Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.Core task
Show the other 7
- Maintain records of performance reports for future reference.Core task
- Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.Core task
- Plan or coordinate investigation and resolution of customers' reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles.Core task
- Develop design criteria for aeronautical or aerospace products or systems, including testing methods, production costs, quality standards, environmental standards, or completion dates.
- Direct aerospace research and development programs.
- Evaluate and approve selection of vendors by studying past performance or new advertisements.
- Research new materials to determine quality or conformance to environmental standards.
How that compares
Among the 34 architecture and engineering occupations, aerospace engineers rank 10. The group averages 3.8%, and its most exposed job is Computer Hardware Engineers at 14.5%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 207Architects, Except Landscape and Naval 7.8%
- 207Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians 7.8%
- 209Biochemists and Biophysicists 7.6%
Just below
What this does and does not mean
Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.
A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.
Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.