Will AI replace fish and game wardens?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 38m (95%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 5.7% fewer 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 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 22m of a typical shift. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 11 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Collect and report information on populations or conditions of fish and wildlife in their habitats, availability of game food or cover, or suspected pollution. (17m a shift; e.g. Thermal-infrared survey drones (MassDOT Aeronautics / MA DCR deer density survey), in use)
• Document the extent of crop, property, or habitat damage and make financial loss estimates or compensation recommendations. (6m a shift; e.g. Airwyse autonomous field drone and docking station, sold commercially)

7h 38m of a typical shift, or 95%, 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:

• Patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land. (2h 34m a shift)
• Investigate hunting accidents or reports of fish or game law violations. (55m a shift)
• Issue warnings or citations and file reports as necessary. (44m a shift)
• Compile and present evidence for court actions. (22m a shift)
• Provide assistance to other local law enforcement agencies as required. (22m a shift)

Part of the answer is the setting, not just the tasks. Work that is in person, hands on or high stakes is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 99% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 91% work outdoors in all weather every day
• 89% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious

On Indeed, job postings in the Security & Public Safety sector are at 119% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 4.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 500 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 $74,060 a year ($35.60 an hour), 45% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $50,990 and $100,980 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 a decline of 5.7% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 5,800 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 500 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 5,770 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 720th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 5,800 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 79% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 4 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: bachelor's 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: Persuasion, Critical Thinking, Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 38m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Puppet

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Operate drones for surveillance of large areas and tracking of wildlife.

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:

• Detectives and Criminal Investigators (1h 3m touched, $94k median pay)
• Range Managers (19m touched, $73k median pay)
• Animal Control Workers (0m touched, $46k median pay)
• Forest and Conservation Technicians (1h 8m touched, $55k median pay)
• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists (1h 22m touched, $57k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 1 with robots sold or demonstrated, 22 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.