Will AI replace atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, postsecondary?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 58m 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 breakdown: 1h 45m done by people with AI help, 2h 58m that AI mostly does alone. The other 3h 17m (41%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.4% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 12 of 26 tasks, about 4h 43m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. (1h 22m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers. (27m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. (18m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction. (14m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. (14m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. For 2 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

3h 17m of a typical shift, or 41%, 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:

• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. (27m a shift)
• Supervise laboratory work and field work. (23m a shift)
• Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. (23m a shift)
• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. (18m a shift)
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. (18m 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:

• 68% talk face to face with others every day
• 58% are in constant contact with other people

For the 6 tasks in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 8h 13m for a person alone and about 36m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, and course materials and methods of instruction (about 10h 13m alone, 1h 13m with AI)
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media (about 8h 34m alone, 31m with AI)
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others (about 8h 15m alone, 25m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Education & Instruction sector are at 107% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 9.5% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 800 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $103,170 a year, 102% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $59,700 and $203,190 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 2.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 12,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 800 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 9,900 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 667th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 12,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a master's degree: about 46% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. 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: Speaking, Science, Instructing, Learning Strategies
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 3h 17m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, ESRI ArcGIS software, Google Docs
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. 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:

• Postsecondary Environmental Science Teachers (3h 37m touched, $95k median pay)
• Postsecondary Chemistry Teachers (4h 2m touched, $93k median pay)
• Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers (3h 18m touched, $85k median pay)
• Postsecondary Geography Teachers (3h 12m touched, $98k median pay)
• Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary (3h 13m touched, $101k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 12 observed in real AI use, 14 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.