AI exposure: Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. May specialize in wildlife research and management. May collect and analyze biological data to determine the environmental effects of present and potential use of land and water habitats.
Reading this score
computed35.8% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists at the 62th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.3 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 14 tasks it averages 1.71 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 literature reviews, at 80.0%. The least is Prepare collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for species identification and..., at 10.0%. A gap of 70.0% 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 life, physical and social science occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 36.3% across the group's 60 roles, with 30 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 14 tasks, 7 are currently banded exposed, 2 assisted and 5 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
14 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct literature reviews. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 3.74 | exposed |
| Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.43 | exposed |
| Organize and conduct experimental studies with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 3.76 | exposed |
| Develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.39 | exposed |
| Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.32 | exposed |
| Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife. | 40.0% | 35.0% | 25.0% | 3.91 | exposed |
| Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified. | 35.0% | 40.0% | 25.0% | 3.59 | assisted |
| Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff. | 29.2% | 20.8% | 50.0% | 3.53 | exposed |
| Coordinate preventive programs to control the outbreak of wildlife diseases. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 3.68 | assisted |
| Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution. | 16.7% | 25.0% | 58.3% | 4.18 | untouched |
| Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations. | 13.3% | 11.7% | 75.0% | 4.43 | untouched |
| Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope. | 10.8% | 14.2% | 75.0% | 2.70 | untouched |
| Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them. | 10.0% | 15.0% | 75.0% | 3.45 | untouched |
| Prepare collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for species identification and study of development or disease. | 10.0% | 15.0% | 75.0% | 2.95 | untouched |
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 | 2.33 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.33 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.89 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 1.27 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.71 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.71 | 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.