The Task Exposure Indexv2026.Q3
Occupation · SOC 17-1011.00 · Job Zone 5

AI exposure: Architects, Except Landscape and Naval

Plan and design structures, such as private residences, office buildings, theaters, factories, and other structural property.

Reading this score

computed

37.5% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Architects, Except Landscape and Naval at the 65th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.6 out of 4 on what a current system can produce, and the frictions that hold other jobs in place are comparatively weak here.

What holds the line here is context. Across this occupation's 25 tasks it averages 1.96 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work depends on knowledge the model cannot hold. Much of this job runs on things that were never written down: what this particular organisation does, what happened last week, what the person across the table actually meant. That context is the barrier, and it erodes as systems are given more access.

The most exposed thing this job does is Prepare operating and maintenance manuals, studies, or reports, at 73.3%. The least is Inspect proposed building sites to determine suitability for construction, at 8.3%. A gap of 65.0% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.

Within architecture and engineering occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 37.5% across the group's 56 roles, with 28 scoring higher. Being in an exposed family does not make a particular job exposed, and the reverse holds too.

What would move this score. Of 25 tasks, 17 are currently banded exposed, 4 assisted and 4 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take a change in who is permitted to sign the work, which is a question for regulators rather than for engineers. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.

Task by task

25 tasks, O*NET 31.0
TaskExposedAssistedUntouchedImportanceBand
Prepare operating and maintenance manuals, studies, or reports.73.3%26.7%0.0%3.18exposed
Calculate potential energy savings by comparing estimated energy consumption of proposed design to baseline standards.66.7%33.3%0.0%3.12exposed
Develop final construction plans that include aesthetic representations of the structure or details for its construction.64.2%23.3%12.5%4.52exposed
Prepare information regarding design, structure specifications, materials, color, equipment, estimated costs, or construction time.60.0%40.0%0.0%4.05exposed
Prepare scale drawings or architectural designs, using computer-aided design or other tools.55.0%20.0%25.0%4.95exposed
Create three-dimensional or interactive representations of designs, using computer-assisted design software.55.0%20.0%25.0%3.84exposed
Develop marketing materials, proposals, or presentations to generate new work opportunities.55.0%20.0%25.0%3.42exposed
Meet with clients to review or discuss architectural drawings.45.0%30.0%25.0%4.70exposed
Prepare contract documents for building contractors.45.0%30.0%25.0%4.65exposed
Consult with clients to determine functional or spatial requirements of structures.45.0%30.0%25.0%4.29exposed
Administer construction contracts.45.0%30.0%25.0%4.00exposed
Represent clients in obtaining bids or awarding construction contracts.45.0%30.0%25.0%3.25exposed
Plan or design structures such as residences, office buildings, theatres, factories, or other structural properties in accordance with environmental, safety, or other regulations.40.0%35.0%25.0%4.76exposed
Design or plan construction of green building projects to minimize adverse environmental impact or conserve energy.40.0%35.0%25.0%3.68exposed
Design structures that incorporate environmentally friendly building practices or concepts, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.40.0%35.0%25.0%3.47exposed
Direct activities of technicians engaged in preparing drawings or specification documents.26.7%23.3%50.0%4.05exposed
Design environmentally sound structural upgrades to existing buildings, such as natural lighting systems, green roofs, or rainwater collection systems.26.7%23.3%50.0%3.48exposed
Integrate engineering elements into unified architectural designs.20.0%30.0%50.0%4.24assisted
Plan layouts of structural architectural projects.20.0%30.0%50.0%4.21assisted
Perform predesign services, such as feasibility or environmental impact studies.20.0%30.0%50.0%3.43assisted
Gather information related to projects' environmental sustainability or operational efficiency.20.0%30.0%50.0%3.32assisted
Monitor the work of specialists, such as electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, interior designers, or sound specialists to ensure optimal form or function of designs or final structures.10.0%15.0%75.0%4.00untouched
Inspect the condition of structures.10.0%15.0%75.0%3.62untouched
Conduct periodic on-site observations of construction work to monitor compliance with plans.8.3%16.7%75.0%4.38untouched
Inspect proposed building sites to determine suitability for construction.8.3%16.7%75.0%3.47untouched

Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.

Where the score comes from

judged

Every task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.

DimensionMeanScale
Capability2.580-4
Embodiment0.760-3
Presence0.600-3
Accountability1.680-3
Context1.960-3
Verification cost1.800-3

What this means in practice

Where most of a role's weighted task load is exposed, the work that survives is usually the part of the job nobody wrote into the job description: deciding what should be produced rather than producing it, and being answerable for the result. The tasks lowest on this page are a better guide to where to spend your time than any general advice about the future of work.

Occupations either side of this one

The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.

Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.