Will AI replace microbiologists?

Not replace, but it is changing the job. About 1h 10m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The breakdown: 38m that AI mostly does alone, 32m that robots have done in real workplaces. The other 6h 50m (85%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 6.2% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 14 tasks, about 38m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Examine physiological, morphological, and cultural characteristics, using microscope, to identify and classify microorganisms in human, water, and food specimens. (38m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 32m of a typical shift. 10 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Provide laboratory services for health departments, community environmental health programs, and physicians needing information for diagnosis and treatment. (32m a shift; e.g. Copan WASPLab / WASP / PhenoMATRIX, in use)

6h 50m of a typical shift, or 85%, 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:

• Isolate and maintain cultures of bacteria or other microorganisms in prescribed or developed media, controlling moisture, aeration, temperature, and nutrition. (1h 10m a shift)
• Prepare technical reports and recommendations, based upon research outcomes. (58m a shift)
• Monitor and perform tests on water, food, and the environment to detect harmful microorganisms or to obtain information about sources of pollution, contamination, or infection. (45m a shift)
• Use a variety of specialized equipment, such as electron microscopes, gas and high-pressure liquid chromatographs, electrophoresis units, thermocyclers, fluorescence-activated cell sorters, and phosphorimagers. (45m a shift)
• Supervise biological technologists and technicians and other scientists. (38m 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:

• 68% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 64% are exposed to disease or infection every day
• 64% 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 1,500 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 $87,990 a year ($42.30 an hour), 73% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $54,670 and $150,000 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 6.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 21,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 1,500 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 560th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 21,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 64% 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: Science, Learning Strategies, Active Learning, Writing
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 50m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

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:

• Biochemists and Biophysicists (43m touched, $127k median pay)
• Food Scientists and Technologists (42m touched, $89k median pay)
• Geneticists (3h 37m touched, $99k median pay)
• Chemists (3h 11m touched, $91k median pay)
• Medical Scientists (17m touched, $103k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 1 with robots in real deployments, 12 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.