Will agricultural technicians be replaced by AI?
Updated
Agricultural technicians score 32 of 100 for AI exposure. 50% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 12% today and speed up another 38%.
- 12% AI can do it
- 38% AI helps
- 50% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Lower than 59% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 26 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 13 and leaves 10 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Prepare data summaries, reports, or analyses that include results, charts, or graphs to document research findings and results. LLMs draft reports, summaries, and charts from research data well. | 80% AI can do it |
| Respond to general inquiries or requests from the public. Chatbots and email drafting handle most routine public questions well. | 75% AI can do it |
| Record data pertaining to experimentation, research, or animal care. Logging experiment and animal care data is structured digital work. | 68% AI can do it |
| Record environmental data from field samples of soil, air, water, or pests to monitor the effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) practices. Sensor logging can be automated, but sample collection stays physical. | 50% AI helps |
| Devise cultural methods or environmental controls for plants for which guidelines are sketchy or nonexistent. AI can synthesize literature and propose methods; trials need people. | 45% AI helps |
| Determine the germination rates of seeds planted in specified areas. Image tools can count germinated seeds; planting setup stays physical. | 45% AI helps |
| 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. AI aids trial design and analysis; field work stays with people. | 40% AI helps |
| Supervise pest or weed control operations, including locating and identifying pests or weeds, selecting chemicals and application methods, or scheduling application. AI identifies pests and plans sprays; field scouting stays human. | 40% AI helps |
| Assess comparative soil erosion from various planting or tillage systems, such as conservation tillage with mulch or ridge till systems, no-till systems, or conventional tillage systems with or without moldboard plows. AI can model erosion data; field measurements still need people. | 40% AI helps |
| Examine animals or crop specimens to determine the presence of diseases or other problems. AI image tools flag likely disease; a person inspects specimens. | 35% AI helps |
Show the other 16 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Perform tests on seeds to evaluate seed viability. Seed viability tests need physical setup; AI can score results. | 35% AI helps |
| Conduct insect or plant disease surveys. AI can identify diseases from photos; field scouting stays physical. | 35% AI helps |
| Prepare culture media, following standard procedures. AI can scale recipes; sterile weighing and pouring stay manual. | 35% AI helps |
| Prepare laboratory samples for analysis, following proper protocols to ensure that they will be stored, prepared, and disposed of efficiently and effectively. Sample handling needs hands; AI helps with protocols and labels. | 30% AI helps |
| Perform laboratory or field testing, using spectrometers, nitrogen determination apparatus, air samplers, centrifuges, or potential hydrogen (pH) meters to perform tests. Instruments need physical operation; AI helps interpret the readings. | 30% AI helps |
| Prepare or present agricultural demonstrations. AI can draft talks and materials; live demonstrations need people. | 30% AI helps |
| Measure or weigh ingredients used in laboratory testing. Weighing ingredients needs a balance and steady hands. | 18% Needs a person |
| Perform general nursery duties, such as propagating standard varieties of plant materials, collecting and germinating seeds, maintaining cuttings of plants, or controlling environmental conditions. Propagation and germination need physical care; sensors can monitor climate. | 18% Needs a person |
| Supervise or train agricultural technicians or farm laborers. Leading and training people is interpersonal and accountable work. | 15% Needs a person |
| Set up laboratory or field equipment as required for site testing. Physical site setup dominates, with some planning help from AI. | 12% Needs a person |
| Prepare land for cultivated crops, orchards, or vineyards by plowing, discing, leveling, or contouring. Heavy field machinery work needs a person on site. | 8% Needs a person |
| Collect animal or crop samples. Sample collection from crops and animals is physical work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Maintain or repair agricultural facilities, equipment, or tools to ensure operational readiness, safety, and cleanliness. Equipment repair and facility cleaning need physical presence. | 6% Needs a person |
| Operate farm machinery, including tractors, plows, mowers, combines, balers, sprayers, earthmoving equipment, or trucks. Driving and operating machinery in fields is physical work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Perform crop production duties, such as tilling, hoeing, pruning, weeding, or harvesting crops. Weeding, pruning, and harvesting are physical field labor. | 5% Needs a person |
| Transplant trees, vegetables, or horticultural plants. Digging and planting trees and plants is physical work. | 4% Needs a person |
How agricultural technicians compare
All occupations (923)
Life, physical and social science (60)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $49,630 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 15,130 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +5.4% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Collect crop and animal samples in the field
- Count germination in planted seed plots manually
- Calibrate lab equipment for plant and animal trials
- Map field plots with GIS systems
- Keep experiment records in Microsoft Access databases
Safer roles nearby
4 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about agricultural technicians and AI
Will AI replace agricultural technicians?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing data summaries and reports and logging experiment records in Excel. Field work stays with people because sample collection, planting and germination setup need a person on site, and scientists still decide what the results mean.
Which tasks is AI taking over for agricultural technicians?
Report writing and data logging are shifting first. Preparing data summaries, reports, and charts scores 80 on exposure, since LLMs draft text and build charts from research data in Word and Excel. Answering public questions scores 75, and chatbots and email drafting in Outlook handle routine requests well.
Which agricultural technician tasks stay human?
Physical field and plant work stays human. Transplanting trees and vegetables scores 4 on exposure, operating tractors and combines scores 5, and collecting animal or crop samples scores 8. These tasks need hands, machinery and a person standing in the field, so the work stays on site with the technician.
How can agricultural technicians stay valuable as AI spreads?
Take responsibility for the physical field and lab steps that produce the data. Run sample collection and germination counts yourself, then check any image-based counts against hand counts. Learn GIS mapping for field plots and Access databases for experiment records. Use AI drafts for Word reports, but verify every Excel chart against raw data before a scientist signs off.
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