Will AI replace Agricultural Technicians?
AI reaches little of this job’s work.
14/100
Low exposure
More exposed to AI than 26% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 3% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 20% of the work
What the job involves
Work with agricultural scientists in plant, fiber, and animal research, or assist with animal breeding and nutrition. Set up or maintain laboratory equipment and collect samples from crops or animals. Prepare specimens or record data to assist scientists in biology or related life science experiments. Conduct tests and experiments to improve yield and quality of crops or to increase the resistance of plants and animals to disease or insects.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Already happening(1)
- Respond to general inquiries or requests from the public.
Within reach(4)
- Record data pertaining to experimentation, research, or animal care.
- Prepare data summaries, reports, or analyses that include results, charts, or graphs to document research findings and results.
- Record environmental data from field samples of soil, air, water, or pests to monitor the effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) practices.
- Conduct studies of nitrogen or alternative fertilizer application methods, quantities, or timing to ensure satisfaction of crop needs and minimization of leaching, runoff, or denitrification.
Out of reach(21)
- Operate farm machinery, including tractors, plows, mowers, combines, balers, sprayers, earthmoving equipment, or trucks.
- Collect animal or crop samples.
- Maintain or repair agricultural facilities, equipment, or tools to ensure operational readiness, safety, and cleanliness.
- Perform crop production duties, such as tilling, hoeing, pruning, weeding, or harvesting crops.
- Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring.
and 16 more
Also called
Seed Analyst · Agronomy Technician (Agronomy Tech) · Agronomy Tech · Artificial Breeding Technician (Artificial Breeding Tech) · Artificial Breeding Tech · Cotton Program Technician (Cotton Program Tech) · Cotton Program Tech · Feed Mill Laboratory Technician (Feed Mill Lab Tech)
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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