Will AI replace pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 4h 26m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The other 3h 34m (45%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.9% 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 3 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 4h 26m of a typical shift. 5 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.

• Lift, push, and swing nozzles, hoses, and tubes to direct spray over designated areas. (2h 42m a shift; e.g. Turf Tank Two autonomous line-marking robot, in use)
• Cover areas to specified depths with pesticides, applying knowledge of weather conditions, droplet sizes, elevation-to-distance ratios, and obstructions. (1h 29m a shift; e.g. GUSS / Mini GUSS / Herbicide GUSS autonomous sprayers, in use)
• Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment. (15m a shift; e.g. GUSS / Herbicide GUSS autonomous orchard sprayer (John Deere), in use)

3h 34m of a typical shift, or 45%, 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:

• Mix pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides for application to trees, shrubs, lawns, or botanical crops. (44m a shift)
• Clean or service machinery to ensure operating efficiency, using water, gasoline, lubricants, or hand tools. (44m a shift)
• Fill sprayer tanks with water and chemicals, according to formulas. (37m a shift)
• Identify lawn or plant diseases to determine the appropriate course of treatment. (37m a shift)
• Connect hoses and nozzles selected according to terrain, distribution pattern requirements, types of infestations, and velocities. (22m 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:

• 93% work outdoors in all weather every day
• 79% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 77% say a mistake would be very or extremely serious

On Indeed, job postings in the Cleaning & Sanitation sector are at 102% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 2.1% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 3,300 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 $46,340 a year ($22.28 an hour), 9% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $35,570 and $61,420 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 3.9% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 27,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 3,300 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 27,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 496th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 27,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 56% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. 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: Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Coordination
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 3h 34m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Facebook, Google Android, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook

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:

• Establish driving routes for pesticide applications.
• Record information about pesticide applications, such as the type used and amount applied.
• Use new technology and equipment, such as drones or GPS systems, to apply pesticides more accurately and efficiently.

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:

• Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment (1h 11m touched, $36k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 3 with robots in real deployments, 7 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.