← All 785 jobsFile 19-4043
Geological Technicians
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 3.6% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #485 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +3.6% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $53,350 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 7,300 in the US, with about 1,000 openings a year
The work, 19 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Analyze environmental or geospatial data20%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records14%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Create visual designs or displays9%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 78 conversations, and it got them there 40% of the time.
Still yours: Collect samples of products or materials8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Gather information from physical or electronic sources8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 28 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
AI helps with this: Maintain electronic, computer, or other technical equipment5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,196 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
AI helps with this: Research issues related to earth sciences4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 541 conversations, and it got them there 87% of the time.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Set up equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 511 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate laboratory or field equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Collect information about patients or clients3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Compile records, documentation, or other data2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 301 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Record images with photographic or audiovisual equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Investigate the environmental impact of industrial or development activities2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct construction or extraction activities1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Assist scientists, scholars, or technical specialists with projects or research1%
AI performed this in about 1 in 250 Copilot conversations and completed it 79% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 104 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 1,000 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 26% of the workFood Science Technicians0% AI does, against 11% here+4.8% by 2035 · $52,130 · Associate’s degree
- Shares 21% of the workPlant and System Operators0% AI does, against 11% here+2.3% by 2035 · $62,470 · High school diploma
- Shares 20% of the workWater and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators0% AI does, against 11% here-5.7% by 2035 · $60,020 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Planet front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.13, higher than 44% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 19-4043 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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