Will AI replace Forensic Science Technicians?
Estimated risk score: 35 out of 100
Lower replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (16 to 54).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 21 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 19-4092.00 · Life, Physical, and Social Science
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 2 of its 21 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques.
- Use chemicals or other substances to examine latent fingerprint evidence and compare developed prints to those of known persons in databases.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 5 of its 21 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity.
- Operate and maintain laboratory equipment and apparatus.
- Prepare solutions, reagents, or sample formulations needed for laboratory work.
- Train new technicians or other personnel on forensic science techniques.
- Identify and quantify drugs or poisons found in biological fluids or tissues, in foods, or at crime scenes.
What the job is
Collect, identify, classify, and analyze physical evidence related to criminal investigations. Perform tests on weapons or substances, such as fiber, hair, and tissue to determine significance to investigation. May testify as expert witnesses on evidence or crime laboratory techniques. May serve as specialists in area of expertise, such as ballistics, fingerprinting, handwriting, or biochemistry.
Also called: CSI (Crime Scene Investigator), Crime Scene Technician (Crime Scene Tech), FDE, DNA Tech, DNA Analyst, Ballistician, DNA Examiner, Ballistics Tech.
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate