Will AI replace hydroelectric production managers?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 39m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 7h 21m (92%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.6% 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 39m of a typical shift.

• Inspect hydroelectric facilities, including switchyards, control houses, or relay houses, for normal operation or adherence to safety standards. (34m a shift; e.g. Boston Dynamics Spot / Spark / Bolt quadrupeds, in use)
• Operate energized high- or low-voltage hydroelectric power transmission system substations, according to procedures and safety requirements. (6m a shift; e.g. One-click sequential control (station-side sequential control system), in use)

7h 21m of a typical shift, or 92%, 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:

• Direct operations, maintenance, or repair of hydroelectric power facilities. (1h 18m a shift)
• Maintain records of hydroelectric facility operations, maintenance, or repairs. (45m a shift)
• Monitor or inspect hydroelectric equipment, such as hydro-turbines, generators, or control systems. (45m a shift)
• Supervise or monitor hydroelectric facility operations to ensure that generation or mechanical equipment conform to applicable regulations or standards. (45m a shift)
• Supervise hydropower plant equipment installations, upgrades, or maintenance. (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:

• 100% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 83% talk face to face with others every day
• 78% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious

On Indeed, job postings in the Management sector are at 104% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 8.3% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 17,000 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 $126,060 a year ($60.61 an hour), 147% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $78,000 and $205,520 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 2.6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 259,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 17,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 246,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.16% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 153rd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 259,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a post-secondary certificate: about 29% 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: Management of Material Resources, Management of Financial Resources, Management of Personnel Resources, Time Management
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 21m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Apache Kafka, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software

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:

• Train employees in power plant operations.

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:

• Wind Energy Operations Managers (0m touched, $142k median pay)
• Facilities Managers (0m touched, $107k median pay)
• Biofuels Production Managers (0m touched, $126k median pay)

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