Will AI replace park naturalists?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 53m (99%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 5.3% 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 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 7m of a typical shift. 1 more task has only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so it stays with people here. For 5 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Take photographs and motion pictures for use in lectures and publications and to develop displays. (6m a shift; e.g. DJI Dock 3 with Matrice 4D, in use)

7h 53m of a typical shift, or 99%, 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:

• Provide visitor services, such as explaining regulations, answering visitor requests, needs and complaints, and providing information about the park and surrounding areas. (1h 24m a shift)
• Prepare and present illustrated lectures and interpretive talks about park features. (1h 11m a shift)
• Conduct field trips to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites, or other attractions. (58m a shift)
• Assist with operations of general facilities, such as visitor centers. (45m a shift)
• Plan and organize public events at the park. (26m 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:

• 99% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 65% talk face to face with others every day
• 60% work at arm's length or closer to other people

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 2,100 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 $73,010 a year ($35.10 an hour), 43% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $47,550 and $110,410 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 5.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 29,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 2,100 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 26,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 503rd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 29,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 50% 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: Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Service Orientation, Writing
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 53m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Office software, Adobe Acrobat, Facebook, Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP, Microsoft Excel

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:

• Recreation Workers (0m touched, $37k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 19 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.