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AI exposure Management

Will AI replace natural sciences managers?

Natural Sciences Managers. US occupation 11-9121.

6.1%

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

Ranked 233 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 69% of them.Further along than 69% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

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

What AI already does for natural sciences managersWhat natural sciences managers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 70 tasks for natural sciences managers. AI use at work shows up in 4 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. Code, evaluate, or interpret collected study data.Core task mostly automated 0.98
  2. Conduct own research in field of expertise.Core task mostly automated 0.95
  3. Review project activities and prepare and review research, testing, or operational reports.Core task mostly automated 0.94
  4. Advise or assist in obtaining patents or meeting other legal requirements. automated and assisted 0.72

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

66 of the 70 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Analyze storm water systems to identify opportunities for water resource improvements.Core task
  • Assess eligibility of potential subjects through methods such as screening interviews, reviews of medical records, or discussions with physicians and nurses.Core task
  • Collaborate with investigators to prepare presentations or reports of clinical study procedures, results, and conclusions.Core task
  • Communicate with laboratories or investigators regarding laboratory findings.Core task
  • Compile and maintain documentation on the health of a body of water.Core task
  • Compile water resource data, using geographic information systems (GIS) or global position systems (GPS) software.Core task
Show the other 60
  • Conduct cost-benefit studies for watershed improvement projects or water management alternatives.Core task
  • Conduct technical studies for water resources on topics such as pollutants and water treatment options.Core task
  • Conduct, or oversee the conduct of, chemical, physical, and biological water quality monitoring or sampling to ensure compliance with water quality standards.Core task
  • Conduct, or oversee the conduct of, investigations on matters such as water storage, wastewater discharge, pollutants, permits, or other compliance and regulatory issues.Core task
  • Confer with health care professionals to determine the best recruitment practices for studies.Core task
  • Confer with scientists, engineers, regulators, or others to plan or review projects or to provide technical assistance.Core task
  • Contact outside health care providers and communicate with subjects to obtain follow-up information.Core task
  • Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.Core task
  • Determine scientific or technical goals within broad outlines provided by top management and make detailed plans to accomplish these goals.Core task
  • Develop advertising and other informational materials to be used in subject recruitment.Core task
  • Develop client relationships and communicate with clients to explain proposals, present research findings, establish specifications, or discuss project status.Core task
  • Develop innovative technology or train staff for its implementation.Core task
  • Develop or implement policies, standards, or procedures for the architectural, scientific, or technical work performed to ensure regulatory compliance or operations enhancement.Core task
  • Develop or implement standardized water monitoring and assessment methods.Core task
  • Develop plans to protect watershed health or rehabilitate watersheds.Core task
  • Develop strategies for watershed operations to meet water supply and conservation goals or to ensure regulatory compliance with clean water laws or regulations.Core task
  • Direct the requisition, collection, labeling, storage, or shipment of specimens.Core task
  • Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.Core task
  • Identify and characterize specific causes or sources of water pollution.Core task
  • Identify protocol problems, inform investigators of problems, or assist in problem resolution efforts, such as protocol revisions.Core task
  • Inform patients or caregivers about study aspects and outcomes to be expected.Core task
  • Instruct research staff in scientific and procedural aspects of studies including standards of care, informed consent procedures, or documentation procedures.Core task
  • Maintain contact with sponsors to schedule and coordinate site visits or to answer questions about issues such as incomplete data.Core task
  • Maintain required records of study activity including case report forms, drug dispensation records, or regulatory forms.Core task
  • Make presentations at professional meetings to further knowledge in the field.Core task
  • Monitor study activities to ensure compliance with protocols and with all relevant local, federal, and state regulatory and institutional polices.Core task
  • Monitor water use, demand, or quality in a particular geographic area.Core task
  • Negotiate for water rights with communities or water facilities to meet water supply demands.Core task
  • Order drugs or devices necessary for study completion.Core task
  • Organize space for study equipment and supplies.Core task
  • Oversee subject enrollment to ensure that informed consent is properly obtained and documented.Core task
  • Participate in the development of study protocols including guidelines for administration or data collection procedures.Core task
  • Perform hydrologic, hydraulic, or water quality modeling.Core task
  • Perform specific protocol procedures such as interviewing subjects, taking vital signs, and performing electrocardiograms.Core task
  • Plan or direct research, development, or production activities.Core task
  • Prepare and administer budgets, approve and review expenditures, and prepare financial reports.Core task
  • Prepare for or participate in quality assurance audits conducted by study sponsors, federal agencies, or specially designated review groups.Core task
  • Prepare project proposals.Core task
  • Prepare study-related documentation, such as protocol worksheets, procedural manuals, adverse event reports, institutional review board documents, or progress reports.Core task
  • Present water resource proposals to government, public interest groups, or community groups.Core task
  • Provide technical expertise to assist communities in the development or implementation of storm water monitoring or other water programs.Core task
  • Recommend new or revised policies, procedures, or regulations to support water resource or conservation goals.Core task
  • Record adverse event and side effect data and confer with investigators regarding the reporting of events to oversight agencies.Core task
  • Recruit personnel or oversee the development or maintenance of staff competence.Core task
  • Review or evaluate designs for water detention facilities, storm drains, flood control facilities, or other hydraulic structures.Core task
  • Review proposed study protocols to evaluate factors such as sample collection processes, data management plans, or potential subject risks.Core task
  • Review scientific literature, participate in continuing education activities, or attend conferences and seminars to maintain current knowledge of clinical studies affairs and issues.Core task
  • Schedule subjects for appointments, procedures, or inpatient stays as required by study protocols.Core task
  • Supervise teams of workers who capture water from wells and rivers.Core task
  • Track enrollment status of subjects and document dropout information such as dropout causes and subject contact efforts.Core task
  • Write proposals, project reports, informational brochures, or other documents on wastewater purification, water supply and demand, or other water resource subjects.Core task
  • Arrange for research study sites and determine staff or equipment availability.
  • Contact industry representatives to ensure equipment and software specifications necessary for successful study completion.
  • Dispense medical devices or drugs, and calculate dosages and provide instructions as necessary.
  • Identify methods for distributing purified wastewater into rivers, streams, or oceans.
  • Interpret protocols and advise treating physicians on appropriate dosage modifications or treatment calculations based on patient characteristics.
  • Participate in preparation and management of research budgets and monetary disbursements.
  • Provide for stewardship of plant or animal resources or habitats, studying land use, monitoring animal populations, or providing shelter, resources, or medical treatment for animals.
  • Register protocol patients with appropriate statistical centers as required.
  • Solicit industry-sponsored trials through contacts and professional organizations.

How that compares

Among the 35 management occupations, natural sciences managers rank 19. The group averages 9.8%, and its most exposed job is Financial Managers at 39.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 230Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys 6.3%
  2. 230Insurance Underwriters 6.3%
  3. 232Amusement and Recreation Attendants 6.2%

Just below

  1. 235Biological Technicians 6.0%
  2. 235Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs 6.0%
  3. 237Clinical and Counseling Psychologists 5.9%

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.