Will AI replace nuclear technicians?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 1h 31m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 6h 29m (81%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 1.1% 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 1h 31m of a typical shift. 8 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 3 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Measure the intensity and identify the types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments. (55m a shift; e.g. RadPiper, in use)
• Monitor nuclear reactor equipment performance to identify operational inefficiencies, hazards, or needs for maintenance or repair. (36m a shift; e.g. Boston Dynamics Spot with Spot CAM+IR and radiation detector payload, in use)

6h 29m of a typical shift, or 81%, 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:

• Follow policies and procedures for radiation workers to ensure personnel safety. (43m a shift)
• Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety. (36m a shift)
• Conduct surveillance testing to determine safety of nuclear equipment. (36m a shift)
• Test plant equipment to ensure it is operating properly. (36m a shift)
• Warn maintenance workers of radiation hazards and direct workers to vacate hazardous areas. (30m a shift)

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 900 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 $110,240 a year ($53.00 an hour), 116% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $73,150 and $133,600 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 1.1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 6,800 jobs in 2035. It expects about 900 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 6,470 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 711th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 6,800 in 2035.

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: Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Troubleshooting, Operation and Control
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 29m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Linux, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint

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:

• Nuclear Power Reactor Operators (19m touched, $123k median pay)
• Biomass Plant Technicians (4h 58m touched, $102k median pay)
• Nuclear Monitoring Technicians (1h 59m touched, $110k median pay)
• Hydroelectric Plant Technicians (3h 20m touched, $102k median pay)
• Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators (4h 12m touched, $79k 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.