Chemical Technicians
In short: today's best AI models could do about 30% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 35% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 65% of the time, stays with people.
Conduct chemical and physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative and quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, and gaseous materials for research and development of new products or processes, quality control, maintenance of environmental standards, and other work involving experimental, theoretical, or practical application of chemistry and related sciences.
57,540 people do this job in the US. $60,390 a year.
Reviewed on October 18, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on0 h
- A person checks AI's work12 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet2 h
- Stays with people26 h
Chemical Technicians, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 12 hours become checking its work, 2 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 26 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Compile and interpret results (about 3 h, a person checks); Run sampling and analysis programs (about 2 h, a person checks); Write technical reports (about 2 h, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 30%
- 5%
- 2%
- 8%
- 56%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 30% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 15%. Today's estimate: 30%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.27% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 83rd largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 2 of its 16 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.12% to 0.18% (released February and March 2025); 0.18% to 0.084% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.27% to 0.27% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.12% | 153 of 708 | 7 of 16 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.18% | 97 of 703 | 7 of 16 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.18% | 102 of 655 | 5 of 16 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.12% | 134 of 672 | 6 of 16 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.084% | 185 of 677 | 6 of 16 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.27% | 82 of 434 | 2 of 16 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.27% | 83 of 447 | 2 of 16 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 79% of this job's working time as physical work. For 77% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 55% in a purpose-built cell, 22% in a structured facility. 0.99 of 3, the 125th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 21%
- No robot shown 3%
- In a purpose-built cell 55%
- In a structured facility 22%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
65% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Run chemical analyses, the hands-on work, 14%
- Run laboratory tests, the hands-on work, 12%
- Support chemists and engineers, the hands-on work, 7%
- Run sampling and analysis programs, the hands-on work, 5%
- Monitor product quality, the hands-on work, 4%
- Clean and maintain lab equipment, the hands-on work, 4%
What becomes checking the machine
34% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it.
- Develop new processes, costly if wrong, 7%
- Compile and interpret results, costly if wrong, 7%
- Run sampling and analysis programs, costly if wrong, 5%
- Write technical reports, costly if wrong, 5%
- Monitor product quality, costly if wrong, 4%
- Design and build apparatus, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 56% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 30% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
- Judgment where errors are severe. Some tasks are severe if wrong. Knowing when not to trust an output matters more there than speed.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set up and conduct chemical experiments, tests, and analyses, using techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, physical or chemical separation techniques, or microscopy.Setting up and running the instruments and separations at the bench.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, FA-LAS (fully automated laboratory robotic system) (Astellas Pharma) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 14% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Conduct chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist scientists in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials.Running the tests at the bench and instruments.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Mobile robotic process chemist (University of Liverpool) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 12% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Develop or conduct programs of sampling and analysis to maintain quality standards of raw materials, chemical intermediates, or products.Planning the sampling scheme and running the samples through the lab.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Mobile robotic chemist (KUKA KMR iiwa based) (University of Liverpool) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 10% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Documents 50%, hands-on 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Provide technical support or assistance to chemists or engineers.Helping at the bench alongside them, with some written work.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Liverpool autonomous mobile robots for exploratory synthetic chemistry (Nature 2024, Dai et al.) (University of Liverpool) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Hands-on 50%, in person 30%, documents 20% | 19%Desk part half by now |
| Develop new chemical engineering processes or production techniques.Designing the process on paper, with trials at the bench.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Mobile robotic chemist (KUKA KMR iiwa based) (University of Liverpool) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work days | Documents 80%, hands-on 20% | 28%Desk part half by Jan 2027 |
| Monitor product quality to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.Sampling and testing the product, reading the results against the specification.Done hourly or more by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Mobile robotic chemist (KUKA KMR iiwa-based) (University of Liverpool) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 50%, systems 30%, documents 20% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Compile and interpret results of tests and analyses.Pulling the results together and working out what they show.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Documents 80%, systems 20% | 100%Half by now |
| Design or fabricate experimental apparatus to develop new products or processes.Sketching the apparatus and building it in the shop.Done more than yearly by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Robotic flow-synthesis platform (modular reactor/separator units + robotic arm) (MIT (Coley, Jensen, Jamison et al.), published in Science) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 1.7 work days | Hands-on 60%, documents 40% | 37%Desk part half by now |
| Provide and maintain a safe work environment by participating in safety programs, committees, or teams and by conducting laboratory or plant safety audits.Committee meetings, written findings, and walking the lab or plant for the audit.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 40%, documents 30%, conversation 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Write technical reports or prepare graphs or charts to document experimental results.Writing up the results with graphs and charts.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Documents 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Maintain, clean, or sterilize laboratory instruments or equipment.Cleaning and upkeep of the instruments at the bench.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Chemspeed FLEX STORAGE & CLEANING module (FLEX automation platform) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Direct or monitor other workers producing chemical products.Overseeing the workers on the plant floor.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | In person 80%, hands-on 20% | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Chemists40% now, 60% by 2028
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians37% now, 55% by 2028
- Chemical Engineers19% now, 70% by 2028
- Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians18% now, 19% by 2028
- Chemical Plant and System Operators22% now, 22% by 2028
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians34% now, 69% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Chemical Technicians is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 30% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 35% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Chemical Technicians come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Compile and interpret results (100% of the task's time now); Run sampling and analysis programs (50% of the task's time now); and Write technical reports (100% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Chemical Technicians stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Run chemical analyses; Run laboratory tests; and Clean and maintain lab equipment. Together such tasks are about 38% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Chemical Technicians learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft; reviewing work you did not do yourself; and briefing a model and checking its drafts. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 65% of the working time stays with people, 34% becomes checking a model's work and 1% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Chemical Technicians?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.27% went to this job's tasks, the 83rd largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 2 of its 16 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 31%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Chemical Technicians?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 79% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 77% of the working time, 22% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.99 of 3. One example: Mobile robotic process chemist for "run laboratory tests". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 16 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on October 18, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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