Data Scientists

Data Scientists score 75 out of 100, which is high exposure to AI. That ranks #34 of 923 US occupations, where #1 is the most exposed. Of the 16 tasks in this job, AI could speed up 8 on its own and 8 more with extra software built on top of it. In April–May 2026, 12 of these tasks showed up in real conversations with Claude, Anthropic's AI assistant.

75/ 100

High

Rank: #34of 923 jobs
US workers: 262,440BLS, May 2025
Median pay: $120,230a year
In real AI use: 12 of 16tasks, April–May 2026

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Task by task

Each task this job involves, as listed by O*NET, rated on whether a large language model like GPT-4 could cut the time it takes by at least half at the same quality. Tasks marked Seen in real AI use appeared in conversations with Claude in April–May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index).

AI can speed this up on its own: 8 (50%)
AI can speed this up with extra software: 8 (50%)
Little or no AI speed-up: 0 (0%)

Apply feature selection algorithms to models predicting outcomes of interest, such as sales, attrition, and healthcare use.AI can speed this up on its own
Apply sampling techniques to determine groups to be surveyed or use complete enumeration methods.AI can speed this up on its own
Clean and manipulate raw data using statistical software.AI can speed this up on its own · Seen in real AI use
Compare models using statistical performance metrics, such as loss functions or proportion of explained variance.AI can speed this up on its own · Seen in real AI use
Design surveys, opinion polls, or other instruments to collect data.AI can speed this up on its own
Propose solutions in engineering, the sciences, and other fields using mathematical theories and techniques.AI can speed this up on its own · Seen in real AI use
Test, validate, and reformulate models to ensure accurate prediction of outcomes of interest.AI can speed this up on its own · Seen in real AI use
Write new functions or applications in programming languages to conduct analyses.AI can speed this up on its own · Seen in real AI use
Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.AI can speed this up with extra software · Seen in real AI use
Create graphs, charts, or other visualizations to convey the results of data analysis using specialized software.AI can speed this up with extra software · Seen in real AI use
Deliver oral or written presentations of the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.AI can speed this up with extra software · Seen in real AI use
Identify business problems or management objectives that can be addressed through data analysis.AI can speed this up with extra software · Seen in real AI use
Identify relationships and trends or any factors that could affect the results of research.AI can speed this up with extra software · Seen in real AI use
Identify solutions to business problems, such as budgeting, staffing, and marketing decisions, using the results of data analysis.AI can speed this up with extra software · Seen in real AI use
Read scientific articles, conference papers, or other sources of research to identify emerging analytic trends and technologies.AI can speed this up with extra software
Recommend data-driven solutions to key stakeholders.AI can speed this up with extra software · Seen in real AI use

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Questions about data scientists and AI

Will AI replace data scientists?

Probably not entirely, but the job is likely to change a lot. Data Scientists score 75 out of 100 (high exposure), #34 of 923 US jobs. AI could speed up 16 of the job's 16 tasks, 8 of them on its own. Exposure means the work is likely to change, not that the job will disappear.

Which data scientists tasks can AI do?

The most exposed tasks include "Apply feature selection algorithms to models predicting outcomes of interest, such as sales, attrition, and healthcare use"; "Apply sampling techniques to determine groups to be surveyed or use complete enumeration methods"; "Clean and manipulate raw data using statistical software".

Which data scientists tasks are hardest for AI?

Every task in this job has some AI exposure, though 8 of them need extra software built around the AI.

Are people already using AI for this work?

Yes. In April–May 2026, 12 of the 16 tasks showed up in real conversations with Claude, according to the Anthropic Economic Index.

How many people work as data scientists, and what do they earn?

About 262,440 people in the US, with median pay of $120,230 a year (BLS, May 2025).

How to read this score. Exposure measures how much of the work AI could speed up, not whether the job will disappear. A highly exposed job can change shape, with people spending less time on routine tasks and more on the rest. The score counts tasks AI can speed up on its own in full, and tasks that need extra software at half weight.

The ratings come from published research based on GPT-4 (2023). To show what's happening now, each task is also checked against the latest Anthropic Economic Index, which records which tasks people actually use AI for. That data is refreshed automatically when Anthropic publishes a new release. Read the full method.