AI exposure: Computer and Information Research Scientists
Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.
Reading this score
computed53.0% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Computer and Information Research Scientists at the 91th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 3.1 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 15 tasks it averages 1.97 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 Conduct logical analyses of business, scientific, engineering, and other technical problems,..., at 86.7%. The least is Participate in multidisciplinary projects in areas such as virtual reality, human-computer..., at 23.3%. A gap of 63.3% 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 computer and mathematical occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 57.8% across the group's 36 roles, with 23 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 15 tasks, 14 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 0 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take cheaper ways to verify output, since the cost of checking is currently doing more to hold this work in place than the cost of producing it. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Task by task
15 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct logical analyses of business, scientific, engineering, and other technical problems, formulating mathematical models of problems for solution by computers. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 3.61 | exposed |
| Analyze problems to develop solutions involving computer hardware and software. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 4.24 | exposed |
| Develop performance standards, and evaluate work in light of established standards. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 3.14 | exposed |
| Assign or schedule tasks to meet work priorities and goals. | 66.7% | 33.3% | 0.0% | 3.76 | exposed |
| Apply theoretical expertise and innovation to create or apply new technology, such as adapting principles for applying computers to new uses. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 3.89 | exposed |
| Meet with managers, vendors, and others to solicit cooperation and resolve problems. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 3.64 | exposed |
| Design computers and the software that runs them. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 3.63 | exposed |
| Approve, prepare, monitor, and adjust operational budgets. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 2.77 | exposed |
| Evaluate project plans and proposals to assess feasibility issues. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 3.46 | exposed |
| Maintain network hardware and software, direct network security measures, and monitor networks to ensure availability to system users. | 41.7% | 20.8% | 37.5% | 3.69 | exposed |
| Consult with users, management, vendors, and technicians to determine computing needs and system requirements. | 40.0% | 35.0% | 25.0% | 3.35 | exposed |
| Develop and interpret organizational goals, policies, and procedures. | 40.0% | 35.0% | 25.0% | 3.20 | exposed |
| Participate in staffing decisions and direct training of subordinates. | 33.3% | 29.2% | 37.5% | 2.95 | exposed |
| Direct daily operations of departments, coordinating project activities with other departments. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 3.33 | exposed |
| Participate in multidisciplinary projects in areas such as virtual reality, human-computer interaction, or robotics. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 3.37 | assisted |
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
judgedEvery 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.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 3.07 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 0.20 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.80 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.93 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.97 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.50 | 0-3 |
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.