Will agriculture professors be replaced by AI?
Updated
Agriculture professors score 45 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 52%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 13% outright, and 35% stays with people.
- 13% AI can do it
- 52% AI helps
- 35% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Higher than 63% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 23 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 12 and leaves 8 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. Attendance and grade records are routine data entry in learning systems. | 75% AI can do it |
| Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. AI drafts syllabi, assignments and handouts well; instructor reviews them. | 70% AI can do it |
| Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. AI compiles reading lists and bibliographies quickly; instructor checks accuracy. | 70% AI can do it |
| Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers. AI can grade written work; lab work needs instructor observation. | 55% AI helps |
| Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction. AI can propose curriculum and content revisions; faculty decide and approve. | 55% AI helps |
| Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. AI drafts proposal sections and budgets; scientific design and framing stay human. | 55% AI helps |
| Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as crop production, plant genetics, and soil chemistry. AI drafts lecture outlines and content; instructor delivers and adapts them. | 50% AI helps |
| Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. AI can draft and auto-grade exams; instructor must write and supervise. | 50% AI helps |
| Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences. AI summarizes literature fast, but conferences and colleague talks stay human. | 45% AI helps |
| Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. Research is hands-on, but literature review and drafting papers can be AI-assisted. | 45% AI helps |
Show the other 13 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks and laboratory equipment. AI can research and draft orders; purchasing approval and hands-on selection stay human. | 35% AI helps |
| Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. AI can supply curriculum and career info, but advising stays personal. | 30% AI helps |
| Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. Screening and data tasks can be assisted; recruiting events remain in person. | 30% AI helps |
| Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. AI helps with reports and emails; department leadership and meetings stay human. | 30% AI helps |
| Provide professional consulting services to government or industry. Consulting uses AI for background research; expert judgement and site work remain. | 25% AI helps |
| Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. Mentoring students through research and internships is live, relational work. | 18% Needs a person |
| Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. Collaborating with colleagues is interpersonal and depends on shared context. | 12% Needs a person |
| Act as advisers to student organizations. Advising student organizations involves in-person events and personal leadership. | 12% Needs a person |
| Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. Committee deliberation and policy decisions require human judgement and votes. | 12% Needs a person |
| Supervise laboratory sessions and field work and coordinate laboratory operations. Supervising lab and field work needs physical presence and hands-on oversight. | 10% Needs a person |
| Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. Office hours are live, in-person student interaction. | 10% Needs a person |
| Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. Leading live classroom discussion depends on real-time human facilitation. | 8% Needs a person |
| Participate in campus and community events. Campus and community events require physical attendance and social presence. | 4% Needs a person |
How agriculture professors compare
All occupations (923)
Educational instruction and library (62)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $98,700 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 8,920 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.9% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Grade lab reports and field work through direct observation
- Supervise lab sessions and field sites in person
- Moderate live classroom discussion with real-time facilitation
- Review AI-drafted syllabi and reading lists for accuracy
- Write grant proposal science design and research framing
- Advise student organizations and run office hours in person
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about agriculture professors and AI
Will AI replace agriculture professors?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly preparing course materials and compiling bibliographies, plus maintaining attendance and grade records. What stays with people is supervising lab and field work, leading live discussion, and advising students in person, which need a teacher physically present and responding in real time.
Which agriculture professor tasks is AI taking over?
Preparing course materials and compiling bibliographies carry exposure scores of 70, and maintaining attendance and grade records scores 75. AI drafts syllabi, homework and handouts well, and it compiles reading lists quickly. The professor still reviews each draft and checks citation accuracy before students see it.
Which agriculture professor tasks stay human?
Participating in campus events scores 4 on exposure, and supervising lab and field sessions scores 10. Both need physical presence and hands-on oversight of plants, animals, soil and people. Leading classroom discussion, holding office hours and advising student organizations also stay with the professor because they depend on live, in-person interaction.
How can agriculture professors stay valuable as AI takes on more teaching admin?
Spend the hours AI frees on hands-on supervision of lab and field work, which scores 10 on exposure. Keep grading lab work through direct observation, use Learning management system tools to review AI-generated materials, and build grant proposals around your experimental design. Keep office hours and student advising in person.
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