Nuclear technicians: AI exposure and career outlook
Nuclear technicians (SOC 19-4051) sit at the 29th percentile for measured AI exposure among the 342 occupations tracked here, measured from a composite of Microsoft Research and Anthropic Economic Index telemetry. An estimated 15% of tasks are already automated and 33% are being reshaped rather than replaced — both modelled figures, not direct measurements. No measured automation-versus-augmentation split has been published for this occupation, so we do not place it on that axis at all. It is measurably exposed; which way that resolves is something we do not know, and would rather say than guess. In Canada the role maps to NOC 22100 (Chemical technologists and technicians), and ESDC's COPS 2024–2033 outlook for that unit group is balance.
Figures last updated 2026-06. Every number on this page is labelled measured or modelled; where a source has no coverage for this occupation, it says so rather than showing a zero.
Key facts
- SOC code
- 19-4051
- Canada NOC 2021
- 22100
- TEER level
- Not available
- COPS outlook
- Balance
What the measurements actually say
Three independent studies measure AI exposure for this occupation directly. The two percentages below them are ours, modelled from those measurements.
| Metric | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| AI applicability | 15% | Measured — Microsoft Research, from 200,000 Copilot conversations classified against O*NET work activities. |
| Observed AI usage | 0% | Measured — Anthropic Economic Index, share of tasks observed being performed with Claude (CC-BY 4.0). |
| Academic AI exposure | 56th percentile | Measured — Felten-Raj-Seamans AIOE index across 774 occupations; the index underlying Statistics Canada's Canadian estimates. |
| Automation-pattern usage | Not available | Not covered by Anthropic's collaboration-mode dataset. |
| Augmentation-pattern usage | Not available | Not covered by Anthropic's collaboration-mode dataset. |
| Estimated task automation (modelled) | 15% | Modelled from this occupation's measured telemetry composite, mapped through anchors calibrated to Anthropic's published aggregate findings. Our estimate, not per-occupation telemetry. |
| Estimated task reshaping (modelled) | 33% | Share of tasks where AI acts as co-pilot rather than replacement. Modelled from the measured telemetry composite, calibrated to BCG's published aggregate reshaping rates. Our estimate. |
AI is transforming how this work is done. Professionals who adapt their workflows will thrive; those who don't face increasing competition.
In Canada: NOC 22100
Nuclear technicians map to NOC 22100 — Chemical technologists and technicians. ESDC's COPS 2024–2033 projection for this unit group is Balance.
Mapped via Statistics Canada's official SOC 2018 → NOC 2016 → NOC 2021 correspondence tables (closest match of several correspondence candidates). TEER is the second digit of the NOC code, so it is only as certain as the code is. Several correspondence candidates were available here and we took the closest by title, so we do not report a TEER level for it.
What this job actually involves
These are the O*NET task statements for Nuclear technicians— the work itself, as reported by people doing the job — grouped by the work activity each task belongs to. Showing 12 of 32, core tasks first.
The exposure figures above are for the occupation as a whole. We do not have a per-task measurement: no published dataset tells us which of these specific tasks AI is doing. Read this as what the job is made of, not as a ranking of what is at risk.
Microsoft's applicability score was itself produced by classifying Copilot conversations against the O*NET work-activity catalogue — the same catalogue these groups come from. The published file gives one number per occupation, not one per activity, so we can tell you that 15% of this occupation's work activities are covered by observed AI usage, but not which ones.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings · 4 tasks
Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety.
Core task · Importance 4.8/5 (O*NET)
Monitor nuclear reactor equipment performance to identify operational inefficiencies, hazards, or needs for maintenance or repair.
Core task · Importance 4.7/5 (O*NET)
Follow policies and procedures for radiation workers to ensure personnel safety.
Core task · Importance 4.6/5 (O*NET)
Provide initial response to abnormal events or to alarms from radiation monitoring equipment.
Core task · Importance 4.5/5 (O*NET)
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information · 3 tasks
Calculate safe radiation exposure times for personnel using plant contamination readings and prescribed safe levels of radiation.
Core task · Importance 4.5/5 (O*NET)
Monitor personnel to determine the amounts and intensities of radiation exposure.
Core task · Importance 4.5/5 (O*NET)
Determine intensities and types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments.
Core task · Importance 4.5/5 (O*NET)
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials · 2 tasks
Conduct surveillance testing to determine safety of nuclear equipment.
Core task · Importance 4.8/5 (O*NET)
Test plant equipment to ensure it is operating properly.
Core task · Importance 4.6/5 (O*NET)
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates · 2 tasks
Brief workers on radiation levels in work areas.
Core task · Importance 4.6/5 (O*NET)
Inform supervisors when individual exposures or area radiation levels approach maximum permissible limits.
Core task · Importance 4.5/5 (O*NET)
Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment · 1 task
Apply safety tags to equipment needing maintenance.
Core task · Importance 4.6/5 (O*NET)
Task statements and work activities from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not reviewed or approved this material.
That's the average. Is this you?
Everything above describes Nuclear technicians as a whole. Three questions, and nothing is stored or sent.
Where are you in your career?
What does your week mostly look like?
Is your employer deploying AI?
Where the leverage is
Upskill in AI-driven automation (e.g., Make, Zapier) and generative tools in your domain. The opportunity is to pivot from execution to directing AI-augmented workflows.
AI is transforming tasks rather than replacing entire jobs. Routine scheduling and communication automate, but human decision-making remains critical.
Master workflow automation platforms (e.g., Make, Zapier, CRM integrations) to double your output and position for fractional leadership roles.
This guidance is written per exposure band — three texts across all 342 occupations, framed on the ILO's transformation-versus-displacement distinction. It is editorial guidance for the reshaping band, not an occupation-specific research finding about nuclear technicians.
Sources for this occupation
Only the sources that hold data for nuclear technicians are listed. A study that does not cover this occupation is not cited here.
- Microsoft Research — Working with AI (Tomlinson et al., arXiv:2507.07935): Measured AI applicability, from 200,000 anonymised Copilot conversations classified against O*NET work activities.
- Anthropic Economic Index: Measured observed AI usage per occupation, from Anthropic's open per-SOC dataset (CC-BY 4.0).
- Felten, Raj & Seamans — AI Occupational Exposure index: Measured academic exposure percentile; the index underlying Statistics Canada's Canadian AI-exposure estimates (Mehdi & Morissette, 2024).
- O*NET Database 31.0 (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0: The occupation's task statements and work activities, verbatim. Joined on SOC 2018 with no crosswalk — O*NET-SOC is built on SOC — and carrying no claim about which tasks AI touches.
- Statistics Canada NOC 2021 concordance: Official SOC 2018 → NOC 2016 V1.3 → NOC 2021 V1.0 correspondence tables. TEER is the second digit of the resolved code, so we report it only where the concordance gave a single candidate.
- ESDC COPS 2024–2033: Projected labour-market assessment per NOC 2021 unit group, from the Canadian Occupational Projection System open dataset.
- BCG — AI Will Reshape More Jobs Than It Replaces (April 3, 2026): Published aggregate reshaping rates, used to calibrate our modelled percentages. The per-occupation figures here are our estimates, not BCG's data.
Related occupations
Other roles in Science & Education.
This is the picture for the role. What about your skills?
These numbers describe an occupation, not a person. Map your own skills against them, see which pathways stay open, and plan the transition you actually want.