AI proof jobs that need a degree
O*NET Job Zone 4 or 5, which is a four year degree or more, outside the exposed band, ranked from the lowest exposed share upward. Release v2026.Q3, capability reference date 2026-09-15, built on O*NET 31.0.
A degree protects least where the work is words and numbers on a screen, and most where it comes with a licence, a patient or a site. This is the second kind.
| # | Occupation | Exposed | Assisted | Median pay | Rank of 923 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | 4.1% | 12.3% | $352,220 | 887 | untouched |
| 2 | Prosthodontists | 4.6% | 10.1% | $311,180 | 882 | untouched |
| 3 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 8.2% | 10.7% | $153,990 | 823 | untouched |
| 4 | Optometrists | 9.3% | 22.2% | $136,570 | 809 | untouched |
| 5 | Dentists, General | 10.0% | 13.4% | $170,950 | 794 | untouched |
| 6 | Anesthesiologist Assistants | 10.2% | 11.1% | $135,880 | 791 | untouched |
| 7 | Nurse Anesthetists | 10.7% | 15.1% | $236,590 | 784 | untouched |
| 8 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians | 11.9% | 27.3% | $265,930 | 758 | untouched |
| 9 | Orthotists and Prosthetists | 12.2% | 17.9% | $81,110 | 752 | untouched |
| 10 | Urologists | 13.0% | 21.7% | $265,930 | 734 | untouched |
| 11 | Acupuncturists | 13.2% | 19.7% | $76,040 | 729 | untouched |
| 12 | Histotechnologists | 13.5% | 15.8% | n/a | 727 | untouched |
| 13 | Orthodontists | 14.0% | 26.9% | $289,140 | 721 | untouched |
| 14 | Anesthesiologists | 14.3% | 24.5% | $391,490 | 718 | untouched |
| 15 | Critical Care Nurses | 15.0% | 23.6% | $97,550 | 709 | untouched |
| 16 | Pediatric Surgeons | 15.9% | 25.8% | $559,030 | 690 | untouched |
| 17 | Veterinarians | 16.1% | 20.7% | $130,100 | 687 | untouched |
| 18 | Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists | 16.1% | 27.4% | $100,330 | 685 | untouched |
| 19 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | 16.2% | 26.0% | $358,550 | 681 | untouched |
| 20 | Cardiologists | 16.2% | 23.8% | $496,010 | 680 | untouched |
| 21 | Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | 16.3% | 13.5% | $41,670 | 677 | untouched |
| 22 | Pediatricians, General | 16.4% | 28.6% | $210,040 | 674 | untouched |
| 23 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | 16.5% | 30.1% | $335,550 | 668 | untouched |
| 24 | Midwives | 16.8% | 25.9% | $65,790 | 665 | untouched |
| 25 | Clinical Neuropsychologists | 16.8% | 27.2% | $110,840 | 664 | untouched |
| 26 | Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | 17.3% | 19.3% | $117,860 | 658 | untouched |
| 27 | Acute Care Nurses | 17.4% | 27.4% | $97,550 | 655 | untouched |
| 28 | Dermatologists | 17.6% | 26.6% | $328,730 | 652 | untouched |
| 29 | Orthoptists | 17.6% | 29.0% | $115,210 | 651 | untouched |
| 30 | Podiatrists | 17.6% | 22.1% | $160,300 | 650 | untouched |
| 31 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 17.7% | 27.2% | $292,910 | 648 | untouched |
| 32 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | 17.9% | 27.7% | $300,080 | 647 | untouched |
| 33 | Exercise Physiologists | 18.1% | 23.3% | $59,460 | 643 | untouched |
| 34 | Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators | 18.2% | 23.7% | $75,530 | 640 | untouched |
| 35 | Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | 18.4% | 23.5% | n/a | 630 | untouched |
| 36 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 18.5% | 30.9% | $256,560 | 629 | untouched |
| 37 | Nurse Midwives | 18.6% | 24.9% | $134,040 | 627 | untouched |
| 38 | Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors | 19.1% | 24.2% | n/a | 618 | untouched |
| 39 | Neurologists | 19.2% | 32.5% | $248,560 | 617 | assisted |
| 40 | Family Medicine Physicians | 19.2% | 31.4% | $244,180 | 614 | assisted |
How to read this
Exposed is the share of an occupation’s weighted task load that a generally available AI system can produce today with little structural friction. Assisted is work it can produce but cannot finish alone, because somebody has to be present, accountable, or because checking the output costs as much as doing the work. Untouched is work it cannot produce at all.
Every figure here is computed from task level ratings, and every occupation links to the page that shows its own tasks. If a rating looks wrong, the task is the level to argue at: how this is measured.
Questions about this list
What tops the list?
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, with 4.1% of its weighted task load exposed to current AI systems, 12.3% assisted and 83.6% untouched. Release v2026.Q3.
How is this list decided?
O*NET Job Zone 4 or 5, which is a four year degree or more, outside the exposed band, ranked from the lowest exposed share upward. Scores come from rating every standardised work activity in each occupation against a published rubric, not from rating the occupation as a whole.
Does a high score mean the job disappears?
No. Exposure is not displacement. This measures what current systems can produce and what structurally stands in the way, not what an employer will do about it.
Other cuts of the same data
Exposure is not displacement. This index measures what current systems can produce and what stands in the way. It does not forecast job losses, and it models no adoption, employment or wage effect.