# Will zoologists be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Zoologists score 47 out of 100 for AI exposure. AI helps with 89% of their task time, and they stay in charge. The other 11% needs a person. - **89%** AI helps - **11%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Higher than 67% of the 923 jobs we scored. ## Task by task We graded 14 tasks, most exposed first. AI can't fully do any of them yet. It helps with 11 and leaves 3 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Conduct literature reviews. AI searches and summarizes papers well; critical appraisal needs review. | 70% AI helps | | Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs. Writing reports and papers suits AI drafting; talks need a person. | 65% AI helps | | Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife. AI can draft public answers and ID help; staff verify. | 50% AI helps | | Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. Trait data and literature analysis lean on AI; fieldwork stays human. | 40% AI helps | | Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. Image and sound ID tools help; handling specimens needs a person. | 40% AI helps | ## How zoologists compare All jobs (923) Life, physical and social science (60) The dark line is **zoologists, at 47**. Each dot is a score, and darker dots mean more jobs share it. The short marks are the averages, 37 for all jobs and 47 for life, physical and social science. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $76,780 a year, May 2025 People employed 18,120 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +3.6% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Run species distribution models in ESRI ArcGIS software - Analyze trait and population data in R or Python - Hold field survey permits and handle specimens under agency protocols - Write habitat management plans in Microsoft Word and Excel - Present findings to stakeholders and park interpretive audiences in PowerPoint ## Safer roles nearby 5 related jobs with lower scores. - [Conservation scientists43 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/conservation-scientists/) - [Range managers39 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/range-managers/) - [Game wardens27 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/game-wardens/) - [Soil scientists41 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/soil-scientists/) - [Geoscientists46 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/geoscientists/) ## Questions about zoologists and AI Will AI replace zoologists? Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours of a zoologist's job go to tasks AI can already do, mostly literature reviews and report writing. Fieldwork, specimen handling, live animal studies and stakeholder meetings stay with people, and those tasks carry 11% of the task weight. Which zoologist tasks is AI taking over? Literature reviews carry the highest exposure score at 70, because AI searches and summarizes papers well. Drafting reports and papers, with an exposure score of 65, is the second area, and AI can also draft public answers about wildlife questions. Which zoologist tasks stay human? Collecting and dissecting specimens, running live animal experiments and preparing preserved collections all score 10 or below on exposure. These tasks need hands on work with animals and samples, so AI adds little to them. How can zoologists stay valuable as AI takes over writing and searching? Spend more time in the field, where counts, habitat assessments and specimen work remain people-led. Build skills in ArcGIS, R and Python to check AI-generated analysis, and take on stakeholder meetings where judgment and local trust matter. ## Related jobs - [Biologists51 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/biologists/) - [Environmental restoration planners51 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/environmental-restoration-planners/) - [Environmental scientists51 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/environmental-scientists/) - [Animal scientists48 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/animal-scientists/) ## Next steps for zoologists - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV to see which 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/) - ### Estimate team savings The score is per person. Add headcount and salary to see the hours AI can take on in a team of zoologists, and what they cost. [Estimate what AI saves a team of zoologists](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/team-ai-audit/?role=zoologists) [Work out the return on automation](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-savings-calculator/) ### 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**Roustabouts score lowest, at 6.](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**Pediatric surgeons earn a median $559,030 and score 29.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Roustabouts need little prior training and score 6.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**AI helps with 98% of the task time for health informatics specialists.](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 score, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 job 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/) Sources and licences 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.