Will AI replace Surveyors?
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 24 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 17-1022.00 · 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: 5 of its 24 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Write descriptions of property boundary surveys for use in deeds, leases, or other legal documents.
- Prepare, or supervise preparation of, all data, charts, plots, maps, records, and documents related to surveys.
- Search legal records, survey records, and land titles to obtain information about property boundaries in areas to be surveyed.
- Train assistants and helpers, and direct their work in such activities as performing surveys or drafting maps.
- Develop criteria for the design and modification of survey instruments.
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 24 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Adjust surveying instruments to maintain their accuracy.
- Determine longitudes and latitudes of important features and boundaries in survey areas, using theodolites, transits, levels, and satellite-based global positioning systems (GPS).
- Establish fixed points for use in making maps, using geodetic and engineering instruments.
What the job is
Make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. Provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth's surface for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation, construction, and other purposes.
Also called: County Surveyor, City Surveyor, Home Surveyor, Mine Surveyor, Port Surveyor, Site Surveyor, State Surveyor, Survey Engineer.
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