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How exposed to AI is a Robotics Engineer?

Of the 24 tasks O*NET lists for robotics engineers, 5 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 6 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
Automation EngineerAutonomous Vehicle Design EngineerDesign EngineerFactory Automations EngineerResearch EngineerRobotic Systems Engineer
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
24
tasks rated for this occupation
80%
hold a degree, from a survey of 30
152k
people do this job in the US
13 of 56
least protected in architecture and engineering

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

5
  • Provide technical support for robotic systems
  • Conduct research on robotic technology to create new robotic systems or system capabilities
  • Evaluate robotic systems or prototypes
  • Conduct research into the feasibility, design, operation, or performance of robotic mechanisms, components, or systems, such as planetary rovers, multiple mobile robots, reconfigurable robots, or man-machine interactions
  • Document robotic application development, maintenance, or changes

Only with software built on top

13
  • Review or approve designs, calculations, or cost estimates
  • Process or interpret signals or sensor data
  • Debug robotics programs
  • Create back-ups of robot programs or parameters
  • Design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing
  • Integrate robotics with peripherals, such as welders, controllers, or other equipment
  • Design automated robotic systems to increase production volume or precision in high-throughput operations, such as automated ribonucleic acid (RNA) analysis or sorting, moving, or stacking production materials
  • Write algorithms or programming code for ad hoc robotic applications
  • Make system device lists or event timing charts
  • Design or program robotics systems for environmental clean-up applications to minimize human exposure to toxic or hazardous materials or to improve the quality or speed of clean-up operations
  • Plan mobile robot paths and teach path plans to robots
  • Design robotics applications for manufacturers of green products, such as wind turbines or solar panels, to increase production time, eliminate waste, or reduce costs
  • Automate assays on laboratory robotics

Cannot be sped up

6
  • Build, configure, or test robots or robotic applications
  • Design end-of-arm tooling
  • Design robotic systems, such as automatic vehicle control, autonomous vehicles, advanced displays, advanced sensing, robotic platforms, computer vision, or telematics systems
  • Supervise technologists, technicians, or other engineers
  • Investigate mechanical failures or unexpected maintenance problems
  • Install, calibrate, operate, or maintain robots
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.