← All 785 jobsFile 17-2171
Petroleum Engineers
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 2% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #257 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $144,910 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 18,500 in the US, with about 1,000 openings a year
The work, 24 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: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Determine operational methods or procedures6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 461 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Resolve personnel or operational problems6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Develop operational or technical procedures or standards6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,089 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain operational records5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Manage control systems or activities5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 903 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time.
AI does this: Present research or technical information5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Analyze environmental or geospatial data4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Coordinate with others to resolve problems4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 738 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
AI does this: Plan work activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 720 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Analyze performance of systems or equipment4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 563 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
AI does this: Explain technical details of products or services4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 43 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI does this: Develop models of systems, processes, or products4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,656 Copilot conversations and completed it 72% of the time.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Develop systems or practices to mitigate or resolve environmental problems3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
Still yours: Direct construction or extraction activities2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Collect samples of products or materials2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Research technology designs or applications2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 149 conversations, and it got them there 89% of the time.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Design industrial systems or equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 102 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 36% of the workCommercial Pilots16% AI does, against 28% here+5.2% by 2035 · $123,220 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 27% of the workIndustrial Production Managers22% AI does, against 28% here+2.6% by 2035 · $126,060 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 26% of the workChemical Engineers12% AI does, against 28% here+4.7% by 2035 · $125,040 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work 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 0.20, higher than 69% 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, 17-2171 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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