Will AI replace animal breeders?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 3h 26m of a typical shift is made up of tasks that AI or robots have done on their own in real use somewhere. That doesn't mean those hours are automated in a typical workplace. The other 4h 34m (57%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 4 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 3h 26m of a typical shift. 4 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 10 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Feed and water animals, and clean and disinfect pens, cages, yards, and hutches. (2h 40m a shift; e.g. Lely Vector automatic feeding system, in use)
• Record animal characteristics such as weights, growth patterns, and diets. (23m a shift; e.g. Lely Astronaut / T4C herd management, in use)
• Purchase and stock supplies of feed and medicines. (17m a shift; e.g. Stretch, in use)
• Adjust controls to maintain specific building temperatures required for animals' health and safety. (6m a shift; e.g. CHORE-TRONICS 3 Controller, in use)

4h 34m of a typical shift, or 57%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Observe animals in heat to detect approach of estrus and exercise animals to induce or hasten estrus, if necessary. (34m a shift)
• Examine animals to detect symptoms of illness or injury. (34m a shift)
• Treat minor injuries and ailments and contact veterinarians to obtain treatment for animals with serious illnesses or injuries. (23m a shift)
• Select animals to be bred, and semen specimens to be used, according to knowledge of animals, genealogies, traits, and desired offspring characteristics. (23m a shift)
• Build hutches, pens, and fenced yards. (23m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 70% work outdoors in all weather every day
• 58% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious
• 51% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time

The median pay is about $51,130 a year ($24.58 an hour), about the same as the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $38,480 and $90,550 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 7,100 jobs in 2035. It expects about 1,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 1,330 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 784th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 7,100 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 86% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Science, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 4h 34m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals (4h 51m touched, $37k median pay)
• Animal Caretakers (7m touched, $35k median pay)
• Animal Trainers (0m touched, $40k median pay)
• Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers (13m touched, $38k median pay)
• Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers (2h 27m touched, $90k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 4 with robots in real deployments, 17 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.