Will AI replace geodetic surveyors?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 5.8% 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.

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.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, 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:

• Conduct surveys to determine exact positions, measurement of points, elevations, lines, areas, volumes, contours, or other features of land surfaces. (1h 9m a shift)
• Analyze control or survey data to ensure adherence to project specifications or land survey standards. (52m a shift)
• Calculate the exact horizontal and vertical position of points on the Earth's surface. (46m a shift)
• Compute horizontal and vertical coordinates of control networks, using direct leveling or other geodetic survey techniques, such as triangulation, trilateration, and traversing, to establish features of the Earth's surface. (46m a shift)
• Plan or direct the work of geodetic surveying staff, providing technical consultation as needed. (40m 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:

• 56% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 54% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time

On Indeed, job postings in the Architecture sector are at 92% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 5.5% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 3,100 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 $75,440 a year ($36.27 an hour), 48% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $46,880 and $125,590 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 5.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 55,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 3,100 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 51,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.03% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 389th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 55,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 81% 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: Mathematics, Science, Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Amazon Web Services AWS software, Autodesk AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation, C#, C++

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:

• Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists (34m touched, $123k median pay)
• Surveyors (17m touched, $75k median pay)
• Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (2h 20m touched, $117k median pay)
• Cartographers and Photogrammetrists (1h 5m touched, $81k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 16 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.