Will AI replace Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians?
AI reaches a large part of this job’s work.
48/100
High exposure
More exposed to AI than 77% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 9% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 68% of the work
What the job involves
Apply theory and principles of civil engineering in planning, designing, and overseeing construction and maintenance of structures and facilities under the direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Already happening(1)
- Prepare reports and document project activities and data.
Within reach(8)
- Calculate dimensions, square footage, profile and component specifications, and material quantities, using calculator or computer.
- Read and review project blueprints and structural specifications to determine dimensions of structure or system and material requirements.
- Draft detailed dimensional drawings and design layouts for projects to ensure conformance to specifications.
- Analyze proposed site factors and design maps, graphs, tracings, and diagrams to illustrate findings.
- Develop plans and estimate costs for installation of systems, utilization of facilities, or construction of structures.
and 3 more
Out of reach(5)
- Confer with supervisor to determine project details such as plan preparation, acceptance testing, and evaluation of field conditions.
- Inspect project site and evaluate contractor work to detect design malfunctions and ensure conformance to design specifications and applicable codes.
- Plan and conduct field surveys to locate new sites and analyze details of project sites.
- Conduct materials test and analysis, using tools and equipment and applying engineering knowledge.
- Negotiate with contractors on prices for new contracts or modifications to existing contracts.
Also called
Highway Technician · Civil Engineering Technician · Design Technician · Engineering Technician · Transportation Engineering Technician · Civil Engineer Helper · Civil Engineer's Aide · Field 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