# Will geothermal technicians be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Geothermal technicians score 33 of 100 for AI exposure. 42% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 18% today and speed up another 40%. - **18%** AI can do it - **40%** AI helps - **42%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Lower than 57% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 24 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 8 and leaves 13 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Prepare and maintain logs, reports, or other documentation of work performed. Logs and reports are text-heavy and easily drafted from records. | 80% AI can do it | | Calculate heat loss and heat gain factors for residential properties to determine heating and cooling required by installed geothermal systems. Heat loss and gain load calculations are standard software tasks. | 65% AI can do it | | Collect and record data associated with operating geothermal power plants or well fields. Sensor and SCADA data logging is largely automated already. | 60% AI can do it | | Identify equipment options, such as compressors, and make appropriate selections. Spec comparison and equipment matching is well suited to AI lookup. | 50% AI helps | | Design and lay out geothermal heat systems according to property characteristics, heating and cooling requirements, piping and equipment requirements, applicable regulations, or other factors. Design tools and AI draft layouts, but site judgment and sign-off remain. | 50% AI helps | ## How geothermal technicians compare All occupations (923) Installation, maintenance and repair (50) **Geothermal technicians score 33**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 21 for installation, maintenance and repair. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $49,230 a year, May 2025 People employed 176,300 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +2.6% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Fusion weld HDPE loop pipe with electro-fusion equipment - Troubleshoot and repair ground source heat pumps on site - Design loop layouts in ClimateMaster GeoDesigner and AutoCAD - Monitor plant operations through the Distributed control system DCS - Maintain repair and maintenance records in SAP software - Sign off site-specific system designs before installation ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Hydroelectric plant technicians22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/hydroelectric-plant-technicians/) - [Power plant operators28 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/power-plant-operators/) - [Biomass plant technicians26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/biomass-plant-technicians/) - [Boiler operators26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/boiler-operators/) - [Wind turbine service technicians24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/wind-turbine-service-technicians/) ## Questions about geothermal technicians and AI Will AI replace geothermal technicians? Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly preparing logs and reports and calculating heat loss and heat gain loads. Digging, welding, backfilling and heat pump repair stay with people because they need hands-on physical work on site. Which geothermal technician tasks is AI taking over? Documentation leads, with an exposure score of 80, because logs and reports are text drawn from records. Heat loss and heat gain load calculations score 65 and run as standard software. Sensor and SCADA data logging at plants scores 60 because it is largely automated already. Which geothermal technician tasks stay human? Operating excavators, digging trenches and backfilling pipe score 2 to 3 on exposure because they need a person on site moving heavy equipment. Fusion welding HDPE pipe scores 5, and heat pump installation and repair scores 8, because both are hands-on craft work in the field. How can geothermal technicians stay valuable? Build depth in fusion welding and heat pump repair, since those tasks stay with people. Learn ClimateMaster GeoDesigner and AutoCAD so you can check AI-drafted loop layouts before sign-off. Learn the Distributed control system DCS so you can read plant alarms and act on them quickly. ## Related jobs - [Water treatment operators25 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/water-treatment-operators/) - [Mechanical engineers47 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/mechanical-engineers/) - [Electrical maintenance technicians37 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/electrical-maintenance-technicians/) - [HVAC technicians23 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/hvac-technicians/) ## Next steps for geothermal technicians - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.