Will AI replace Nuclear Monitoring Technicians?
Estimated risk score: 38 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 (19 to 57).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 19 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 19-4051.02 · 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: 4 of its 19 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Calculate safe radiation exposure times for personnel using plant contamination readings and prescribed safe levels of radiation.
- Prepare reports describing contamination tests, material or equipment decontaminated, or methods used in decontamination processes.
- Enter data into computers to record characteristics of nuclear events or to locate coordinates of particles.
- Inform supervisors when individual exposures or area radiation levels approach maximum permissible limits.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 12 of its 19 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Collect samples of air, water, gases, or solids to determine radioactivity levels of contamination.
- Decontaminate objects by cleaning with soap or solvents or by abrading with wire brushes, buffing wheels, or sandblasting machines.
- Place radioactive waste, such as sweepings or broken sample bottles, into containers for shipping or disposal.
- Analyze samples, such as air or water samples, for contaminants or other elements.
- Determine intensities and types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments.
- Instruct personnel in radiation safety procedures and demonstrate use of protective clothing and equipment.
What the job is
Collect and test samples to monitor results of nuclear experiments and contamination of humans, facilities, and environment.
Also called: Health Physics Technician (HP Tech), Radiation Protection Technician (RPT), Radiation Protection Specialist (RP Specialist), HP Tech, RP Specialist, Decontaminator, Radcon Technician, Metallographic Technician.
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