How over is it?

A mood ring wired to real instruments

AI exposure Computer and mathematical

Will AI replace data scientists?

Data Scientists, also called data analysts. US occupation 15-2051.

46.1%

of the time data scientists spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of data scientists' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 18 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 97% of them.Further along than 97% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

One of the most exposed jobs in the country.Front of the queue for an AI assistant.

What AI already does for data scientistsWhat data scientists no longer do alone

O*NET lists 54 tasks for data scientists. AI use at work shows up in 17 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.

  1. Maintain library of model documents, templates, or other reusable knowledge assets.Core task mostly automated 1.00
  2. Maintain or update business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods.Core task mostly automated 1.00
  3. Process clinical data, including receipt, entry, verification, or filing of information.Core task mostly automated 1.00
  4. Prepare appropriate formatting to data sets as requested.Core task mostly automated 0.98
  5. Prepare data analysis listings and activity, performance, or progress reports.Core task mostly automated 0.98
  6. Collect business intelligence data from available industry reports, public information, field reports, or purchased sources.Core task mostly automated 0.97
  7. Generate standard or custom reports summarizing business, financial, or economic data for review by executives, managers, clients, and other stakeholders.Core task mostly automated 0.93
  8. Create business intelligence tools or systems, including design of related databases, spreadsheets, or outputs.Core task mostly automated 0.92
Show the other 9
  1. Provide technical support for existing reports, dashboards, or other tools.Core task mostly automated 0.92
  2. Disseminate information regarding tools, reports, or metadata enhancements.Core task mostly automated 0.92
  3. Contribute to the compilation, organization, and production of protocols, clinical study reports, regulatory submissions, or other controlled documentation.Core task mostly automated 0.88
  4. Synthesize current business intelligence or trend data to support recommendations for action.Core task automated and assisted 0.85
  5. Design forms for receiving, processing, or tracking data.Core task automated and assisted 0.84
  6. Analyze competitive market strategies through analysis of related product, market, or share trends.Core task automated and assisted 0.79
  7. Identify and analyze industry or geographic trends with business strategy implications.Core task automated and assisted 0.73
  8. Identify relationships and trends or any factors that could affect the results of research.Core task automated and assisted 0.72
  9. Read technical literature and participate in continuing education or professional associations to maintain awareness of current database technology and best practices.Core task automated and assisted 0.66

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

37 of the 54 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Analyze clinical data using appropriate statistical tools.Core task
  • Analyze technology trends to identify markets for future product development or to improve sales of existing products.Core task
  • Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.Core task
  • Apply feature selection algorithms to models predicting outcomes of interest, such as sales, attrition, and healthcare use.Core task
  • Apply sampling techniques to determine groups to be surveyed or use complete enumeration methods.Core task
  • Clean and manipulate raw data using statistical software.Core task
Show the other 31
  • Communicate with customers, competitors, suppliers, professional organizations, or others to stay abreast of industry or business trends.Core task
  • Compare models using statistical performance metrics, such as loss functions or proportion of explained variance.Core task
  • Conduct or coordinate tests to ensure that intelligence is consistent with defined needs.Core task
  • Confer with end users to define or implement clinical system requirements such as data release formats, delivery schedules, and testing protocols.Core task
  • Create graphs, charts, or other visualizations to convey the results of data analysis using specialized software.Core task
  • Create or review technical design documentation to ensure the accurate development of reporting solutions.Core task
  • Deliver oral or written presentations of the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.Core task
  • Design and validate clinical databases, including designing or testing logic checks.Core task
  • Develop project-specific data management plans that address areas such as coding, reporting, or transfer of data, database locks, and work flow processes.Core task
  • Develop technical specifications for data management programming and communicate needs to information technology staff.Core task
  • Document specifications for business intelligence or information technology reports, dashboards, or other outputs.Core task
  • Evaluate processes and technologies, and suggest revisions to increase productivity and efficiency.Core task
  • Generate data queries, based on validation checks or errors and omissions identified during data entry, to resolve identified problems.Core task
  • Identify business problems or management objectives that can be addressed through data analysis.Core task
  • Identify or monitor current and potential customers, using business intelligence tools.Core task
  • Identify solutions to business problems, such as budgeting, staffing, and marketing decisions, using the results of data analysis.Core task
  • Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.Core task
  • Monitor work productivity or quality to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures.Core task
  • Perform quality control audits to ensure accuracy, completeness, or proper usage of clinical systems and data.Core task
  • Propose solutions in engineering, the sciences, and other fields using mathematical theories and techniques.Core task
  • Read scientific articles, conference papers, or other sources of research to identify emerging analytic trends and technologies.Core task
  • Recommend data-driven solutions to key stakeholders.Core task
  • Supervise the work of data management project staff.Core task
  • Test, validate, and reformulate models to ensure accurate prediction of outcomes of interest.Core task
  • Track the flow of work forms, including in-house data flow or electronic forms transfer.Core task
  • Train staff on technical procedures or software program usage.Core task
  • Write new functions or applications in programming languages to conduct analyses.Core task
  • Write work instruction manuals, data capture guidelines, or standard operating procedures.Core task
  • Design surveys, opinion polls, or other instruments to collect data.
  • Develop or select specific software programs for various research scenarios.
  • Provide support and information to functional areas such as marketing, clinical monitoring, and medical affairs.

How that compares

Among the 21 computer and mathematical occupations, data scientists rank 8. The group averages 37.9%, and its most exposed job is Computer Programmers at 74.5%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 15Technical Writers 47.5%
  2. 16Computer User Support Specialists 46.9%
  3. 17Desktop Publishers 46.4%

Just below

  1. 19Public Relations Specialists 45.3%
  2. 19Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 45.3%
  3. 21Political Scientists 45.2%

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.