People Team AI Ask about a date

How exposed to AI is a Food Science Technician?

Of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for food science technicians, 2 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 9 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Central Laboratory Technician (CLT)Food Science Tech (Food Science Technician)Laboratory Assistant (Lab Assistant)Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech)QA Lab Tech (Quality Assurance Lab Technician)QC Tech (Quality Assurance Technician)QC Tech (Quality Control Technician)Quality AnalystQuality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst)Quality Tech (Quality Technician)
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
16
tasks rated for this occupation
47%
hold a degree, from a survey of 21
12k
people do this job in the US
54 of 60
least protected in science

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

2
  • Provide assistance to food scientists or technologists in research and development, production technology, or quality control
  • Order supplies needed to maintain inventories in laboratories or in storage facilities of food or beverage processing plants

Only with software built on top

5
  • Record or compile test results or prepare graphs, charts, or reports
  • Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies
  • Compute moisture or salt content, percentages of ingredients, formulas, or other product factors, using mathematical and chemical procedures
  • Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables
  • Train newly hired laboratory personnel

Cannot be sped up

9
  • Conduct standardized tests on food, beverages, additives, or preservatives to ensure compliance with standards and regulations regarding factors such as color, texture, or nutrients
  • Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics
  • Monitor and control temperature of products
  • Perform regular maintenance of laboratory equipment by inspecting, calibrating, cleaning, or sterilizing
  • Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications
  • Mix, blend, or cultivate ingredients to make reagents or to manufacture food or beverage products
  • Prepare or incubate slides with cell cultures
  • Examine chemical or biological samples to identify cell structures or to locate bacteria or extraneous material, using a microscope
  • Supervise other food science technicians
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.