Electrical Engineers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 17% 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 67% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 21% of the time, stays with people.
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
198,750 people do this job in the US. $120,630 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 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 work7 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet25 h
- Stays with people8 h
Electrical Engineers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 7 hours become checking its work, 25 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 8 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Work in engineering software (about 1 h, a person checks); Prepare drawings and specifications (under an hour, a person checks); Write engineering reports (under an hour, 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.
- 79%
- 0%
- 10%
- 2%
- 9%
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 17% 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, 2%. Today's estimate: 17%.
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, 0.011% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 366th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 22 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.11% to 0.084% (released February and March 2025); 0.051% to 0.074% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.011% to 0.011% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.11% | 159 of 708 | 9 of 22 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.084% | 181 of 703 | 9 of 22 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.051% | 240 of 655 | 6 of 22 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.062% | 214 of 672 | 7 of 22 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.074% | 203 of 677 | 7 of 22 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.011% | 348 of 434 | 1 of 22 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.011% | 366 of 447 | 1 of 22 |
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 4% of this job's working time as physical work. For 0% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere. 0.00 of 3.
- Not physical 96%
- No robot shown 4%
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
20% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Keep projects on time and budget, the conversation, 5%
- Direct build and test work, the conversation, 4%
- Design and support electrical systems, the hands-on work, 3%
- Inspect installations, the hands-on work, 2%
- Confer on projects, the conversation, 2%
- Test vendor products, the hands-on work, 1%
What becomes checking the machine
67% 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.
- Plan research methods, costly if wrong, 9%
- Prepare drawings and specifications, severe if wrong, 8%
- Write control software, severe if wrong, 8%
- Write engineering reports, costly if wrong, 8%
- Work in engineering software, costly if wrong, 7%
- Design and support electrical systems, severe if wrong, 6%
What to learn
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 79% 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.
- 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.
- 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 . 22 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.Design at the desk, with time on the equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.5 work weeks | Documents 70%, hands-on 30% | 3%Desk part half by Apr 2028 |
| Plan or implement research methodology or procedures to apply principles of electrical theory to engineering projects.Planning at the desk.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks | Documents 100% | 5%Half by Apr 2028 |
| Develop software to control electrical systems.Coding at the desk.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 1.2 work months | Documents 100% | 4%Half by Jul 2028 |
| Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements.Drafting at the desk.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | Documents 100% | 23%Half by Jun 2027 |
| Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.Mostly conversation with the team, plus the tracking.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Conversation 60%, documents 40% | 22%Desk part half by now |
| Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.Writing at the desk.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | Documents 100% | 24%Half by May 2027 |
| Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.Design work at the desk.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h25 min to 1.7 work days | Documents 100% | 48%Half by Nov 2026 |
| Develop systems that produce electricity with renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or biofuels.Design at the desk, with tests on the equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 work weeks1.7 work days to 1.5 work months | Documents 80%, hands-on 20% | 2%Desk part half by Aug 2028 |
| Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.Directing the shop and the site, with the specs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 4.2 work days | Conversation 50%, in person 30%, documents 20% | 8%Desk part half by Jan 2027 |
| Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency.Design at the desk, with commissioning on site.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 work weeks6.7 h to 1.5 work months | Documents 80%, hands-on 20% | 1%Desk part half by Feb 2029 |
| Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.Walking the installation against the drawings.Done more than yearly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Hands-on 60%, documents 40% | 27%Desk part half by now |
| Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.Bench tests and the write up.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | Documents 50%, hands-on 50% | 12%Desk part half by Jun 2027 |
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.
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer26% now, 73% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians39% now, 48% by 2028
- Mechanical Engineers23% now, 70% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment26% now, 32% by 2028
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians35% now, 53% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay19% now, 19% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services47,480 people
- Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution20,330 people
- Scientific Research and Development Services10,850 people
- Management of Companies and Enterprises10,260 people
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing9,380 people
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 Electrical Engineers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 17% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 67% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (44% to 77% across the three paces the site shows). 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 Electrical Engineers 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: Work in engineering software (48% of the task's time now, 98% by the end of 2028); Prepare drawings and specifications (23% of the task's time now, 97% by the end of 2028); and Write engineering reports (24% of the task's time now, 98% by the end of 2028).
- Which tasks of Electrical Engineers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Confer on projects; and Supervise and train the team. Together such tasks are about 2% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Electrical Engineers learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are briefing a model and checking its drafts; reviewing work you did not do yourself; and judgment where errors are severe. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 20% of the working time stays with people, 67% becomes checking a model's work and 0% 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 Electrical Engineers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.011% went to this job's tasks, the 366th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 22 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 6%. 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 Electrical Engineers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 4% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 0% of the working time. Its index is 0.00 of 3. 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 22 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 September 30, 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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