AI exposure: Physicists
Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.
Reading this score
computed47.6% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Physicists at the 86th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.7 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 16 tasks it averages 1.88 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 Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, at 80.0%. The least is Teach physics to students, at 11.7%. A gap of 68.3% 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 life, physical and social science occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 60 roles in the group is 35.8%, and only 5 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 16 tasks, 12 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 3 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
16 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 4.67 | exposed |
| Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.74 | exposed |
| Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.63 | exposed |
| Write research proposals to receive funding. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.27 | exposed |
| Perform peer reviews of scientific papers. | 59.3% | 24.1% | 16.7% | 3.56 | exposed |
| Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 4.85 | exposed |
| Develop manufacturing, assembly, and fabrication processes of lasers, masers, infrared, and other light-emitting and light-sensitive devices. | 43.0% | 23.7% | 33.3% | 2.88 | exposed |
| Develop standards of permissible concentrations of radioisotopes in liquids and gases. | 42.5% | 32.5% | 25.0% | 2.56 | exposed |
| Conduct research pertaining to potential environmental impacts of atomic energy-related industrial development to determine licensing qualifications. | 39.0% | 29.8% | 31.2% | 2.78 | exposed |
| Advise authorities of procedures to be followed in radiation incidents or hazards, and assist in civil defense planning. | 34.1% | 32.6% | 33.3% | 2.80 | exposed |
| Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood. | 33.3% | 16.7% | 50.0% | 3.96 | exposed |
| Develop theories and laws on the basis of observation and experiments, and apply these theories and laws to problems in areas such as nuclear energy, optics, and aerospace technology. | 33.3% | 16.7% | 50.0% | 3.87 | exposed |
| Collaborate with other scientists in the design, development, and testing of experimental, industrial, or medical equipment, instrumentation, and procedures. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 4.33 | assisted |
| Conduct application evaluations and analyze results to determine commercial, industrial, scientific, medical, military, or other uses for electro-optical devices. | 16.3% | 17.0% | 66.7% | 3.17 | untouched |
| Observe the structure and properties of matter, and the transformation and propagation of energy, using equipment such as masers, lasers, and telescopes, to explore and identify the basic principles governing these phenomena. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | 4.28 | untouched |
| Teach physics to students. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | 3.88 | 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 | 2.67 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 0.56 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.47 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.95 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.88 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.87 | 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.