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AI exposure Architecture and engineering

Will AI replace petroleum engineers?

Petroleum Engineers. US occupation 17-2171.

0.0%

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

Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for petroleum engineersWhat petroleum engineers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 23 tasks for petroleum engineers. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them, though too little of the job's time goes on them to register in the exposure figure. 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. Write technical reports for engineering and management personnel.Core task automated and assisted 0.72

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

22 of the 23 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Analyze data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production.Core task
  • Assess costs and estimate the production capabilities and economic value of oil and gas wells, to evaluate the economic viability of potential drilling sites.Core task
  • Assist engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems.Core task
  • Confer with scientific, engineering, and technical personnel to resolve design, research, and testing problems.Core task
  • Coordinate activities of workers engaged in research, planning, and development.Core task
  • Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.Core task
Show the other 16
  • Direct and monitor the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys.Core task
  • Evaluate findings to develop, design, or test equipment or processes.Core task
  • Interpret drilling and testing information for personnel.Core task
  • Maintain records of drilling and production operations.Core task
  • Monitor production rates, and plan rework processes to improve production.Core task
  • Specify and supervise well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery.Core task
  • Assign work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel.
  • Conduct engineering research experiments to improve or modify mining and oil machinery and operations.
  • Coordinate the installation, maintenance, and operation of mining and oil field equipment.
  • Design and implement environmental controls on oil and gas operations.
  • Design or modify mining and oil field machinery and tools, applying engineering principles.
  • Inspect oil and gas wells to determine that installations are completed.
  • Simulate reservoir performance for different recovery techniques, using computer models.
  • Supervise the removal of drilling equipment, the removal of any waste, and the safe return of land to structural stability when wells or pockets are exhausted.
  • Take samples to assess the amount and quality of oil, the depth at which resources lie, and the equipment needed to properly extract them.
  • Test machinery and equipment to ensure that it is safe and conforms to performance specifications.

How that compares

Among the 34 architecture and engineering occupations, petroleum engineers rank 33. 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%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Pediatric Surgeons 0.0%
  2. 346Pediatricians, General 0.0%
  3. 346Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation 0.0%

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.