Will AI replace Nuclear Engineers?
Estimated risk score: 46 out of 100
Moderate 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 (27 to 65).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 20 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 17-2161.00 · Architecture and Engineering
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: 7 of its 20 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Prepare technical reports of findings or recommendations, based on synthesized analyses of test results.
- Keep abreast of developments and changes in the nuclear field by reading technical journals or by independent study and research.
- Prepare environmental impact statements, reports, or presentations for regulatory or other agencies.
- Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal.
- Design fuel cycle models or processes to reduce the quantity of radioactive waste generated from nuclear activities.
- Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 3 of its 20 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Perform experiments that will provide information about acceptable methods of nuclear material usage, nuclear fuel reclamation, or waste disposal.
- Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
- Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
What the job is
Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.
Also called: Nuclear Reactor Engineer, Nuclear Licensing Engineer, Nuclear PM, NSSS Engineer, Nuclear Officer, Nuclear Mechanic, Reactor Engineer, Radiation Officer.
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