AI exposure: Electrical Engineers
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
Reading this score
computed30.9% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Electrical Engineers at the 54th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.1 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 verification cost. Across this occupation's 22 tasks it averages 2.01 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, checking the output costs more than producing it. Where an undetected error is expensive, dangerous or irreversible, the economics change. Someone has to verify the work, and verifying can cost as much as doing it. This is the friction most likely to fall as tools for checking improve.
The most exposed thing this job does is Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies..., at 73.3%. The least is Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct..., at 0.0%. A gap of 73.3% 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 architecture and engineering occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 37.5% across the group's 56 roles, with 47 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 22 tasks, 9 are currently banded exposed, 7 assisted and 6 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
22 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 3.59 | exposed |
| Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 3.83 | exposed |
| Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes. | 52.5% | 22.5% | 25.0% | 3.57 | exposed |
| Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 3.88 | exposed |
| Prepare specifications for purchases of materials or equipment. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 3.59 | exposed |
| Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products. | 40.0% | 35.0% | 25.0% | 3.74 | exposed |
| Develop software to control electrical systems. | 40.0% | 26.7% | 33.3% | 3.60 | exposed |
| Plan or implement research methodology or procedures to apply principles of electrical theory to engineering projects. | 35.0% | 40.0% | 25.0% | 3.48 | assisted |
| Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.64 | exposed |
| Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems. | 28.3% | 21.7% | 50.0% | 3.69 | exposed |
| Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 3.65 | assisted |
| Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 3.24 | assisted |
| Design electrical systems or components that minimize electric energy requirements, such as lighting systems designed to account for natural lighting. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 3.09 | assisted |
| Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 4.02 | assisted |
| Assist in developing capital project programs for new equipment or major repairs. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 3.40 | assisted |
| Develop systems that produce electricity with renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or biofuels. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 3.65 | assisted |
| Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes. | 18.5% | 23.2% | 58.3% | 4.19 | untouched |
| Supervise or train project team members, as necessary. | 17.5% | 20.0% | 62.5% | 3.43 | untouched |
| Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products. | 15.0% | 10.0% | 75.0% | 3.72 | untouched |
| Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards. | 10.0% | 15.0% | 75.0% | 3.68 | untouched |
| Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements. | 7.2% | 17.8% | 75.0% | 3.96 | untouched |
| Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.21 | 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 | 2.13 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.07 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.64 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 1.56 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.91 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 2.01 | 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.