Will family and consumer sciences professors be replaced by AI?
Updated
Family and consumer sciences professors score 48 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 53%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 15% outright, and 32% stays with people.
- 15% AI can do it
- 53% AI helps
- 32% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Higher than 70% 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 13 and leaves 7 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. Routine record keeping and grade entry suit automation well. | 80% AI can do it |
| Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. AI compiles reading lists fast; teacher verifies sources. | 78% AI can do it |
| Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. AI drafts syllabi and handouts quickly; instructor reviews. | 75% AI can do it |
| Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, projects, assignments, and papers. AI grades written work well; labs and projects need human judgment. | 55% AI helps |
| Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction. AI drafts curriculum options; teacher judges fit and revises. | 55% AI helps |
| Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. AI drafts questions and scores objective exams; proctoring stays human. | 55% AI helps |
| Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. AI drafts grant text; strategy and funder fit need judgment. | 55% AI helps |
| Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. AI aids literature review and drafting; experiments stay human. | 50% AI helps |
| Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks. AI can compare and order materials; choosing texts needs judgment. | 45% AI helps |
| Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as food science, nutrition, and child care. AI helps build slides; live delivery stays with the teacher. | 40% AI helps |
Show the other 13 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences. AI summarizes papers well; conferences need in-person attendance. | 40% AI helps |
| Conduct faculty performance evaluations. AI can draft evaluation summaries; judgment and accountability stay human. | 40% AI helps |
| Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. AI handles routine emails and reports; leadership stays human. | 35% AI helps |
| Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. AI answers rule questions; career advice needs personal judgment. | 30% AI helps |
| Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. Recruitment events are in person; paperwork parts can be automated. | 30% AI helps |
| Provide professional consulting services to government or industry. Consulting needs client trust, accountability, and expert judgment. | 30% AI helps |
| Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. Committee meetings are live; AI can summarize minutes and documents. | 20% Needs a person |
| Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. Close mentoring in labs and fieldwork stays personal. | 15% Needs a person |
| Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. Collaboration is mostly live discussion between people. | 15% Needs a person |
| Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. Office hours are live, personal conversations with students. | 12% Needs a person |
| Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. Live facilitation of people in the room stays human. | 10% Needs a person |
| Act as advisers to student organizations. Advising clubs means attending meetings and events in person. | 10% Needs a person |
| Participate in campus and community events. Campus and community events require physical presence. | 5% Needs a person |
How family and consumer sciences professors compare
All occupations (923)
Educational instruction and library (62)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $75,870 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 2,770 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.4% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Verify AI-compiled bibliographies against library databases
- Track attendance and grades in Microsoft Excel gradebooks
- Redesign course shells in the learning management system
- Supervise childcare and family practicum placements in person
- Facilitate live classroom discussions and case seminars in person
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about family and consumer sciences professors and AI
Will AI replace family and consumer sciences professors?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly maintaining attendance and grade records and compiling bibliographies. Live classroom facilitation, office hours, and mentoring in labs and fieldwork stay with professors because they need a person in the room.
Which tasks will AI take from family and consumer sciences professors?
Record keeping, bibliography compilation, and course material drafting. Maintaining attendance and grades scores 80 on exposure, the highest in this job, because entry follows fixed rules. Compiling reading lists scores 78, since AI builds them fast and the professor only verifies sources. Drafting syllabi and handouts scores 75.
Which tasks stay with family and consumer sciences professors?
Facilitating classroom discussions, advising student organizations, and supervising internships stay with professors. Their exposure scores run 10 to 15 because each depends on live conversation and physical presence in the room or the field.
How can family and consumer sciences professors stay valuable?
Keep the judgment steps and move saved hours into live work. Review every AI-drafted syllabus and grade rubric before release, and verify each AI bibliography against library databases. Spend the freed hours on office hours, lab supervision, and hands-on childcare or nutrition practicum.
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Next steps for family and consumer sciences professors
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