Will AI replace forensic science technicians?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 52m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 7h 8m (89%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 13.3% 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 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 52m 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.

• Operate and maintain laboratory equipment and apparatus. (34m a shift; e.g. Applied Biosystems RapidHIT ID DNA Booking System, in use)
• Measure and sketch crime scenes to document evidence. (17m a shift; e.g. SkyeBrowse (drone videogrammetry app + cloud platform on DJI/Autel airframes), in use)

7h 8m of a typical shift, or 89%, 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:

• Keep records and prepare reports detailing findings, investigative methods, and laboratory techniques. (1h 20m a shift)
• Collect evidence from crime scenes, storing it in conditions that preserve its integrity. (57m a shift)
• Use photographic or video equipment to document evidence or crime scenes. (34m a shift)
• Use chemicals or other substances to examine latent fingerprint evidence and compare developed prints to those of known persons in databases. (34m a shift)
• Interpret laboratory findings or test results to identify and classify substances, materials, or other evidence collected at crime scenes. (34m 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:

• 86% talk face to face with others every day
• 72% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 65% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious

On Indeed, job postings in the Scientific Research & Development sector are at 84% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 19.9% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 2,800 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 $72,060 a year ($34.65 an hour), 41% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $48,250 and $117,250 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 13.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 23,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 2,800 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 19,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 559th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 23,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a post-secondary certificate: about 36% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate'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: Science, Writing, Critical Thinking, Speaking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 8m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop

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:

• Enter data into databases.
• Operate drones to capture aerial footage or photographs of crime scenes for further analysis.

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:

• Police Identification and Records Officers (0m touched, $94k median pay)
• Detectives and Criminal Investigators (1h 3m touched, $94k median pay)
• Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians (56m touched, $63k median pay)
• Coroners (27m touched, $81k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 with robots in real deployments, 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.