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AI exposure Life, physical and social science

Will AI replace environmental scientists and specialists?

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health. US occupation 19-2041.

5.5%

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

Ranked 243 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 67% of them.Further along than 67% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Around the middle of the pack.Keeping pace with the average job.

What AI already does for environmental scientists and specialistsWhat environmental scientists and specialists no longer do alone

O*NET lists 97 tasks for environmental scientists and specialists. AI use at work shows up in 5 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. Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials.Core task mostly automated 1.00
  2. Determine data collection methods to be employed in research projects or surveys. mostly automated 0.97
  3. Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.Core task mostly automated 0.94
  4. Examine societal issues and their relationship with both technical systems and the environment.Core task mostly automated 0.92
  5. Plan or develop research models, using knowledge of mathematical and statistical concepts. mostly automated 0.91

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

92 of the 97 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Analyze and distill climate-related research findings to inform legislators, regulatory agencies, or other stakeholders.Core task
  • Analyze changes designed to improve the environmental performance of complex systems and avoid unintended negative consequences.Core task
  • Apply for permits required for the implementation of environmental remediation projects.Core task
  • Apply new or existing research about natural ecosystems to understand economic and industrial systems in the context of the environment.Core task
  • Build and maintain databases of information about energy alternatives, pollutants, natural environments, industrial processes, and other information related to ecological change.Core task
  • Carry out environmental assessments in accordance with applicable standards, regulations, or laws.Core task
Show the other 86
  • Collect and analyze data to determine environmental conditions and restoration needs.Core task
  • Communicate findings of environmental studies or proposals for environmental remediation to other restoration professionals.Core task
  • Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.Core task
  • Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.Core task
  • Conduct environmental impact studies to examine the ecological effects of pollutants, disease, human activities, nature, and climate change.Core task
  • Conduct environmental sustainability assessments, using material flow analysis (MFA) or substance flow analysis (SFA) techniques.Core task
  • Conduct feasibility and cost-benefit studies for environmental remediation projects.Core task
  • Conduct site assessments to certify a habitat or to ascertain environmental damage or restoration needs.Core task
  • Create complex and dynamic mathematical models of population, community, or ecological systems.Core task
  • Create diagrams to communicate environmental remediation planning, using geographic information systems (GIS), computer-aided design (CAD), or other mapping or diagramming software.Core task
  • Create environmental models or simulations, using geographic information system (GIS) data and knowledge of particular ecosystems or ecological regions.Core task
  • Create habitat management or restoration plans, such as native tree restoration and weed control.Core task
  • Develop alternative energy investment scenarios to compare economic and environmental costs and benefits.Core task
  • Develop and communicate recommendations for landowners to maintain or restore environmental conditions.Core task
  • Develop environmental management or restoration plans for sites with power transmission lines, natural gas pipelines, fuel refineries, geothermal plants, wind farms, or solar farms.Core task
  • Develop environmental restoration project schedules and budgets.Core task
  • Develop natural resource management plans, using knowledge of environmental planning or state and federal environmental regulatory requirements.Core task
  • Develop, or contribute to the development of, educational or outreach programs on the environment or climate change.Core task
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of industrial ecology programs, using statistical analysis and applications.Core task
  • Examine local, regional, or global use and flow of materials or energy in industrial production processes.Core task
  • Forecast future status or condition of ecosystems, based on changing industrial practices or environmental conditions.Core task
  • Gather and review climate-related studies from government agencies, research laboratories, and other organizations.Core task
  • Identify environmental impacts caused by products, systems, or projects.Core task
  • Identify environmental mitigation alternatives, ensuring compliance with applicable standards, laws, or regulations.Core task
  • Identify or compare the component parts or relationships between the parts of industrial, social, and natural systems.Core task
  • Identify or develop strategies or methods to minimize the environmental impact of industrial production processes.Core task
  • Identify short- and long-term impacts of environmental remediation activities.Core task
  • Identify sustainable alternatives to industrial or waste-management practices.Core task
  • Inspect active remediation sites to ensure compliance with environmental or safety policies, standards, or regulations.Core task
  • Investigate the impact of changed land management or land use practices on ecosystems.Core task
  • Make legislative recommendations related to climate change or environmental management, based on climate change policies, principles, programs, practices, and processes.Core task
  • Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.Core task
  • Monitor environmental impacts of development activities.Core task
  • Monitor the environmental impact of development activities, pollution, or land degradation.Core task
  • Notify regulatory or permitting agencies of deviations from implemented remediation plans.Core task
  • Perform analyses to determine how human behavior can affect, and be affected by, changes in the environment.Core task
  • Perform environmentally extended input-output (EE I-O) analyses.Core task
  • Plan environmental restoration projects, using biological databases, environmental strategies, and planning software.Core task
  • Plan or conduct field research on topics such as industrial production, industrial ecology, population ecology, and environmental production or sustainability.Core task
  • Plan or conduct studies of the ecological implications of historic or projected changes in industrial processes or development.Core task
  • Plan or supervise environmental studies to achieve compliance with environmental regulations in construction, modification, operation, acquisition, or divestiture of facilities such as power plants.Core task
  • Prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data.Core task
  • Prepare grant applications to obtain funding for programs related to climate change, environmental management, or sustainability.Core task
  • Prepare plans to manage renewable resources.Core task
  • Prepare study reports, memoranda, briefs, testimonies, or other written materials to inform government or environmental groups on environmental issues, such as climate change.Core task
  • Prepare technical and research reports, such as environmental impact reports, and communicate the results to individuals in industry, government, or the general public.Core task
  • Present and defend proposals for climate change research projects.Core task
  • Present climate-related information at public interest, governmental, or other meetings.Core task
  • Promote initiatives to mitigate climate change with government or environmental groups.Core task
  • Promote use of environmental management systems (EMS) to reduce waste or to improve environmentally sound use of natural resources.Core task
  • Propose new or modified policies involving use of traditional and alternative fuels, transportation of goods, and other factors relating to climate and climate change.Core task
  • Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.Core task
  • Provide analytical support for policy briefs related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, or climate change.Core task
  • Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.Core task
  • Provide technical direction on environmental planning to energy engineers, biologists, geologists, or other professionals working to develop restoration plans or strategies.Core task
  • Recommend methods to protect the environment or minimize environmental damage from industrial production practices.Core task
  • Redesign linear, or open-loop, systems into cyclical, or closed-loop, systems so that waste products become inputs for new processes, modeling natural ecosystems.Core task
  • Research policies, practices, or procedures for climate or environmental management.Core task
  • Research sources of pollution to determine environmental impact or to develop methods of pollution abatement or control.Core task
  • Research sources of pollution to determine their effects on the environment and to develop theories or methods of pollution abatement or control.Core task
  • Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.Core task
  • Review existing environmental remediation designs.Core task
  • Review existing policies or legislation to identify environmental impacts.Core task
  • Review industrial practices, such as the methods and materials used in construction or production, to identify potential liabilities and environmental hazards.Core task
  • Review research literature to maintain knowledge on topics related to industrial ecology, such as physical science, technology, economy, and public policy.Core task
  • Supervise and provide technical guidance, training, or assistance to employees working in the field to restore habitats.Core task
  • Supervise or train students, environmental technologists, technicians, or other related staff.Core task
  • Translate the theories of industrial ecology into eco-industrial practices.Core task
  • Write grants to obtain funding for restoration projects.Core task
  • Write reports or academic papers to communicate findings of climate-related studies.Core task
  • Analyze data to determine validity, quality, and scientific significance and to interpret correlations between human activities and environmental effects.
  • Conduct analyses to determine the maximum amount of work that can be accomplished for a given amount of energy in a system, such as industrial production systems and waste treatment systems.
  • Conduct applied research on environmental topics, such as waste control or treatment or pollution abatement methods.
  • Conduct applied research on the effects of industrial processes on the protection, restoration, inventory, monitoring, or reintroduction of species to the natural environment.
  • Conduct scientific protection, mitigation, or restoration projects to prevent resource damage, maintain the integrity of critical habitats, and minimize the impact of human activities.
  • Design or direct studies to obtain technical environmental information about planned projects.
  • Develop methods to minimize the impact of production processes on the environment, based on the study and assessment of industrial production, environmental legislation, and physical, biological, and social environments.
  • Develop or test protocols to monitor ecosystem components and ecological processes.
  • Develop programs designed to obtain the most productive, non-damaging use of land.
  • Develop the technical portions of legal documents, administrative orders, or consent decrees.
  • Evaluate violations or problems discovered during inspections to determine appropriate regulatory actions or to provide advice on the development and prosecution of regulatory cases.
  • Investigate accidents affecting the environment to assess ecological impact.
  • Investigate and report on accidents affecting the environment.
  • Investigate the adaptability of various animal and plant species to changed environmental conditions.
  • Provide industrial managers with technical materials on environmental issues, regulatory guidelines, or compliance actions.
  • Research environmental effects of land and water use to determine methods of improving environmental conditions or increasing outputs, such as crop yields.

How that compares

Among the 46 life, physical and social science occupations, environmental scientists and specialists rank 26. The group averages 12.2%, and its most exposed job is Political Scientists at 45.2%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 240Fashion Designers 5.7%
  2. 240Protective Service Workers, All Other 5.7%
  3. 242First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 5.6%

Just below

  1. 244Actuaries 5.4%
  2. 244Craft Artists 5.4%
  3. 244Library Technicians 5.4%

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.