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AI exposure Life, physical and social science

Will AI replace social scientists and related workers?

Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other. US occupation 19-3099.

3.3%

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

Ranked 290 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 61% of them.Further along than 61% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

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

What AI already does for social scientists and related workersWhat social scientists and related workers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 22 tasks for social scientists and related workers. 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.

  1. Prepare or review engineering studies or specifications.Core task mostly automated 0.89

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

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

  • Analyze information from traffic counting programs.Core task
  • Analyze information related to transportation, such as land use policies, environmental impact of projects, or long-range planning needs.Core task
  • Collaborate with engineers to research, analyze, or resolve complex transportation design issues.Core task
  • Collaborate with other professionals to develop sustainable transportation strategies at the local, regional, or national level.Core task
  • Define or update information such as urban boundaries or classification of roadways.Core task
  • Define regional or local transportation planning problems or priorities.Core task
Show the other 15
  • Design new or improved transport infrastructure, such as junction improvements, pedestrian projects, bus facilities, or car parking areas.Core task
  • Design transportation surveys to identify areas of public concern.Core task
  • Develop computer models to address transportation planning issues.Core task
  • Develop or test new methods or models of transportation analysis.Core task
  • Direct urban traffic counting programs.Core task
  • Evaluate transportation project needs or costs.Core task
  • Evaluate transportation-related consequences of federal or state legislative proposals.Core task
  • Interpret data from traffic modeling software, geographic information systems, or associated databases.Core task
  • Participate in public meetings or hearings to explain planning proposals, to gather feedback from those affected by projects, or to achieve consensus on project designs.Core task
  • Prepare necessary documents to obtain planned project approvals or permits.Core task
  • Prepare reports or recommendations on transportation planning.Core task
  • Produce environmental documents, such as environmental assessments or environmental impact statements.Core task
  • Recommend transportation system improvements or projects, based on economic, population, land-use, or traffic projections.Core task
  • Review development plans for transportation system effects, infrastructure requirements, or compliance with applicable transportation regulations.Core task
  • Represent jurisdictions in the legislative or administrative approval of land development projects.

How that compares

Among the 46 life, physical and social science occupations, social scientists and related workers rank 33. 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. 287Marine Engineers and Naval Architects 3.6%
  2. 289Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers 3.4%
  3. 290Chief Executives 3.3%

Just below

  1. 293Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 3.2%
  2. 293First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers 3.2%
  3. 293Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 3.2%

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.