Will AI replace marine engineers and naval architects?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 40m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The other 7h 20m (92%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 6.7% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 2 of 30 tasks, about 40m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Prepare plans, estimates, design and construction schedules, and contract specifications, including any special provisions. (29m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Analyze data to determine feasibility of product proposals. (11m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. For 4 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

7h 20m 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:

• Prepare, or direct the preparation of, product or system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics. (40m a shift)
• Conduct analyses of ships, such as stability, structural, weight, and vibration analyses. (29m a shift)
• Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, and economy. (23m a shift)
• Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of craft, such as size, weight, speed, propulsion, displacement, and draft. (23m a shift)
• Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost. (23m 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:

• 67% talk face to face with others every day
• 65% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious
• 50% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

For the 2 tasks in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 5h 24m for a person alone and about 50m 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:

• Prepare plans, estimates, design and construction schedules, and contract specifications, including any special provisions (about 6h 17m alone, 34m with AI)
• Analyze data to determine feasibility of product proposals (about 4h 32m alone, 1h 6m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Mechanical Engineering sector are at 168% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 43.4% 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 $112,230 a year ($53.96 an hour), 120% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $83,010 and $173,330 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 6.7% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 8,900 jobs in 2035. 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 8,250 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 689th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 8,900 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 53% 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: Complex Problem Solving, Mathematics, Science, Operations Analysis
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 20m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Autodesk AutoCAD, Adobe Acrobat
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

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:

• Develop plans for safely drydocking vessels, including structural integrity, block loading, and stability.

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:

• Nuclear Engineers (0m touched, $134k median pay)
• Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers (0m touched, $115k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 observed in real AI use, 28 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.