AI exposure in architecture and engineering occupations
56 occupations, 1,237 tasks, scored against the capability frontier of 2026-09-15. This family ranks 7 of 22 by median exposed share.
Reading this family
computedThe median architecture and engineering occupation has 37.5% of its weighted task load in work current AI systems can already produce, which is 13.2 points above the median across every occupation in the index. Weighted by how many people actually do these jobs, the figure is 37.2%, across 2,602,660 US workers. 46 of these occupations fall in the exposed band, 3 in assisted and 7 in untouched.
What holds the line across this family is context, at 1.88 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions here. In plain terms the obstacle is knowing things a model cannot hold. The work runs on private, tacit or real-time organisational knowledge. This is the friction most likely to erode, because context is a plumbing problem rather than a law.
The spread inside the family is wider than the gap between families, which is the usual pattern and the reason this index does not publish a single number per group. Geodetic Surveyors sits at 47.5%. Robotics Technicians sits at 21.8%. Both are architecture and engineering occupations, and 25.7 points separate them.
Where the family score comes from
judgedMeans across all 1,237 tasks in this family. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 2.41 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 0.99 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.51 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 1.44 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.88 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.82 | 0-3 |
Every architecture and engineering occupation
See them on the chart| Occupation | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Median pay | Tasks | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geodetic Surveyors | 47.5% | 21.8% | 30.7% | $75,440 | 16 | exposed |
| Industrial Engineers | 44.4% | 29.6% | 26.0% | $102,440 | 20 | exposed |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 43.0% | 26.4% | 30.5% | $130,220 | 20 | exposed |
| Energy Engineers, Except Wind and Solar | 42.9% | 24.0% | 33.2% | $122,930 | 21 | exposed |
| Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | 42.8% | 27.2% | 30.0% | $109,370 | 30 | exposed |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | 42.7% | 23.1% | 34.2% | $66,150 | 26 | exposed |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 42.7% | 25.5% | 31.8% | $161,740 | 18 | exposed |
| Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers | 42.2% | 27.5% | 30.3% | $115,160 | 14 | exposed |
| Manufacturing Engineers | 41.9% | 26.8% | 31.3% | $102,440 | 24 | exposed |
| Landscape Architects | 41.6% | 26.3% | 32.1% | $79,870 | 19 | exposed |
| Mechanical Drafters | 41.6% | 23.0% | 35.4% | $71,550 | 16 | exposed |
| Automotive Engineers | 40.5% | 27.1% | 32.4% | $104,110 | 25 | exposed |
| Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 40.5% | 25.9% | 33.6% | $106,220 | 18 | exposed |
| Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists | 39.9% | 23.1% | 37.0% | $130,220 | 21 | exposed |
| Water/Wastewater Engineers | 39.8% | 27.9% | 32.4% | $100,840 | 28 | exposed |
| Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 39.7% | 24.7% | 35.6% | $64,950 | 14 | exposed |
| Environmental Engineers | 39.4% | 25.3% | 35.3% | $107,110 | 29 | exposed |
| Electrical and Electronics Drafters | 38.9% | 25.3% | 35.8% | $76,870 | 30 | exposed |
| Transportation Engineers | 38.9% | 27.4% | 33.7% | $100,840 | 26 | exposed |
| Photonics Engineers | 38.8% | 23.2% | 38.0% | $122,930 | 26 | exposed |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 38.4% | 23.6% | 38.0% | $74,510 | 30 | exposed |
| Surveyors | 38.2% | 21.7% | 40.0% | $75,440 | 24 | exposed |
| Aerospace Engineers | 37.9% | 26.3% | 35.8% | $134,960 | 14 | exposed |
| Solar Energy Systems Engineers | 37.8% | 24.4% | 37.8% | $122,930 | 13 | exposed |
| Microsystems Engineers | 37.7% | 27.5% | 34.7% | $122,930 | 31 | exposed |
| Fuel Cell Engineers | 37.6% | 26.8% | 35.6% | $104,110 | 26 | exposed |
| Petroleum Engineers | 37.5% | 26.6% | 35.9% | $144,910 | 23 | exposed |
| Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | 37.5% | 25.2% | 37.3% | $112,230 | 30 | exposed |
| Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | 37.5% | 26.7% | 35.9% | $99,280 | 25 | exposed |
| Validation Engineers | 37.4% | 26.8% | 35.8% | $102,440 | 21 | exposed |
| Robotics Engineers | 37.2% | 25.6% | 37.2% | $122,930 | 24 | exposed |
| Chemical Engineers | 36.8% | 28.5% | 34.7% | $125,040 | 14 | exposed |
| Mechanical Engineers | 36.6% | 27.1% | 36.3% | $104,110 | 28 | exposed |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 36.5% | 21.9% | 41.6% | $78,190 | 28 | exposed |
| Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists | 36.3% | 28.5% | 35.2% | $102,440 | 26 | exposed |
| Nuclear Engineers | 36.2% | 26.7% | 37.1% | $133,970 | 20 | exposed |
| Calibration Technologists and Technicians | 36.0% | 17.2% | 46.8% | $67,820 | 14 | exposed |
| Mechatronics Engineers | 35.6% | 25.0% | 39.4% | $122,930 | 23 | exposed |
| Materials Engineers | 35.2% | 24.9% | 39.8% | $112,860 | 21 | exposed |
| Nanosystems Engineers | 34.3% | 23.3% | 42.4% | $122,930 | 25 | exposed |
| Surveying and Mapping Technicians | 34.3% | 17.6% | 48.1% | $54,240 | 30 | exposed |
| Agricultural Engineers | 34.2% | 26.4% | 39.4% | $98,590 | 14 | exposed |
| Cartographers and Photogrammetrists | 34.0% | 17.8% | 48.2% | $81,390 | 14 | exposed |
| Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 34.0% | 25.1% | 40.9% | $66,120 | 30 | exposed |
| Automotive Engineering Technicians | 33.0% | 20.5% | 46.5% | $74,510 | 18 | exposed |
| Wind Energy Engineers | 31.2% | 24.8% | 43.9% | $122,930 | 16 | assisted |
| Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 30.9% | 18.7% | 50.3% | $59,920 | 23 | untouched |
| Electrical Engineers | 30.9% | 24.0% | 45.1% | $120,630 | 22 | exposed |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 29.0% | 26.6% | 44.4% | $115,160 | 27 | assisted |
| Civil Engineers | 28.6% | 24.8% | 46.6% | $100,840 | 16 | assisted |
| Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians | 28.0% | 19.9% | 52.1% | $82,890 | 11 | untouched |
| Non-Destructive Testing Specialists | 27.9% | 18.8% | 53.3% | $78,350 | 16 | untouched |
| Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 27.5% | 20.6% | 51.9% | $66,120 | 25 | untouched |
| Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | 26.9% | 17.8% | 55.3% | $73,900 | 28 | untouched |
| Photonics Technicians | 24.0% | 15.0% | 61.0% | $78,350 | 24 | untouched |
| Robotics Technicians | 21.8% | 16.4% | 61.8% | $73,900 | 22 | untouched |
Exposure is not displacement. These figures say what current systems can produce and what stands in the way. They do not say anyone will stop paying a person to do the work. How the score is built.