Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians
In short: today's best AI models could do about 34% 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 41% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The people and hands-on work, about 59% of the time, stays with people.
Assist scientists or engineers in the use of electronic, sonic, or nuclear measuring instruments in laboratory, exploration, and production activities to obtain data indicating resources such as metallic ore, minerals, gas, coal, or petroleum. Analyze mud and drill cuttings. Chart pressure, temperature, and other characteristics of wells or bore holes.
6,980 people do this job in the US. $53,350 a year.
A typical 40-hour week
Not yet reviewed task by task- AI could take on14 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet3 h
- Stays with people23 h
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 14 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 3 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 23 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Prepare notes, sketches, geological maps, or cross-sections (about 2 h); Collect data on underground areas, such as reservoirs, that could be used in carbon sequestration operations (about 2 h); Plot information from aerial photographs, well logs, section descriptions, or other databases (about 2 h).
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.
- 41%
- 5%
- 54%
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.
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, 9%. Today's estimate: 34%.
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 378th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 29 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.026% to 0.035% (released February and March 2025); 0.04% to 0.032% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.011% to 0.011% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.026% | 402 of 708 | 4 of 29 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.035% | 333 of 703 | 6 of 29 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.04% | 272 of 655 | 5 of 29 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.028% | 338 of 672 | 4 of 29 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.032% | 319 of 677 | 4 of 29 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.011% | 360 of 434 | 1 of 29 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.011% | 378 of 447 | 1 of 29 |
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 52% of this job's working time as physical work. For 47% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 39% in a purpose-built cell, 8% in a structured facility. 0.55 of 3, the 294th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 48%
- No robot shown 5%
- In a purpose-built cell 39%
- In a structured facility 8%
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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 29 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test and analyze samples to determine their content and characteristics, using laboratory apparatus or testing equipment.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Rocklabs Automated Modular Solution (AMS) Prep Line automated laboratory (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 12% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct geophysical surveys of potential sites for wind farms or solar installations to determine their suitability.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 12% | 2.1 work days5 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Collect geological data from potential geothermal energy plant sites.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Participate in geological, geophysical, geochemical, hydrographic, or oceanographic surveys, prospecting field trips, exploratory drilling, well logging, or underground mine survey programs.Done yearly or less by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Robotic drill-cuttings sample collection and analysis device (Tonner et al., IADC/SPE 189680-MS) (Tonner, Swanson, Hollingshead et al.) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Prepare notes, sketches, geological maps, or cross-sections.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h38 min to 6.7 h | 91%Half by now | |
| Compile data used to address environmental issues, such as the suitability of potential landfill sites. | 6% | 1 work day3.3 h to 3.1 work days | 61%Half by now | |
| Apply new technologies, such as improved seismic imaging techniques, to locate untapped oil or natural gas deposits. | 5% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 2.5 work days | 80%Half by now | |
| Collect data on underground areas, such as reservoirs, that could be used in carbon sequestration operations.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Intertek robotic / automated minerals laboratory systems (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 1.7 work days | 92%Half by now | |
| Evaluate and interpret seismic data with the aid of computers. | 5% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 55%Half by now | |
| Collect or prepare solid or fluid samples for analysis.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, RoboLogger / RoboLogger EZ / RoboLogger X (Diversified Well Logging, LLC) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Plot information from aerial photographs, well logs, section descriptions, or other databases.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 96%Half by now | |
| Plan and direct activities of workers who operate equipment to collect data.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 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.
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.
- Hydrologic Technicians26% now, 70% by 2028
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians63% now, 70% by 2028
- Geodetic Surveyors67% now, 70% by 2028
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health34% now, 65% by 2028
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians37% now, 55% by 2028
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians40% now, 64% 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 Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 34% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 41% 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 Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic 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: Prepare notes, sketches, geological maps, or cross-sections (91% of the task's time now, 100% by the end of 2028); Collect data on underground areas, such as reservoirs, that could be used in carbon sequestration operations (92% of the task's time now, 100% by the end of 2028); and Plot information from aerial photographs, well logs, section descriptions, or other databases (96% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Test and analyze samples to determine their content and characteristics, using laboratory apparatus or testing equipment; Conduct geophysical surveys of potential sites for wind farms or solar installations to determine their suitability; and Collect geological data from potential geothermal energy plant sites. Together such tasks are about 59% of the working time.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians?
- 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 378th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 29 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 23%. 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 Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 52% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 47% of the working time, 8% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.55 of 3. One example: RoboLogger / RoboLogger EZ / RoboLogger X for "collect or prepare solid or fluid samples for analysis". 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 29 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, each classed as desk, people or body work, 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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