Will AI replace Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians?
AI reaches some of this job’s work, but most of it stays with people.
24/100
Moderate exposure
More exposed to AI than 41% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 0% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 49% of the work
What the job involves
Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used to launch, track, position, and evaluate air and space vehicles. May record and interpret test data.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Within reach(5)
- Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms.
- Confer with engineering personnel regarding details and implications of test procedures and results.
- Identify required data, data acquisition plans, and test parameters, setting up equipment to conform to these specifications.
- Operate and calibrate computer systems and devices to comply with test requirements and to perform data acquisition and analysis.
- Design electrical and mechanical systems for avionic instrumentation applications.
Out of reach(6)
- Inspect, diagnose, maintain, and operate test setups and equipment to detect malfunctions.
- Adjust, repair, or replace faulty components of test setups and equipment.
- Test aircraft systems under simulated operational conditions, performing systems readiness tests and pre- and post-operational checkouts, to establish design or fabrication parameters.
- Fabricate and install parts and systems to be tested in test equipment, using hand tools, power tools, and test instruments.
- Finish vehicle instrumentation and deinstrumentation.
and 1 more
Also called
Test Technician · Aerographer · Aerospace Technician · Altitude Chamber Technician · Flight Data Technician · Flight Technician · Wind Tunnel Technician · Avionics Installation Technician
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics