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Science & Research · Updated Aug 2026

Nuclear Technicians

Assist nuclear physicists, nuclear engineers, or other scientists in laboratory, power generation, or electricity production activities. May operate, maintain, or provide quality control for nuclear testing and research equipment. May monitor radiation.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
55/100
Moderate

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
48/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence80/100
Task coverage84%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety.High
70
Follow policies and procedures for radiation workers to ensure personnel safety.High
73
Conduct surveillance testing to determine safety of nuclear equipment.High
71
Modify, devise, or maintain nuclear equipment used in operations.High
67
Communicate with accelerator maintenance personnel to ensure readiness of support systems, such as vacuum, water cooling, or radio frequency power sources.Medium
67
Monitor instruments, gauges, or recording devices under direction of nuclear experimenters.High
37
Calculate equipment operating factors, such as radiation times, dosages, temperatures, gamma intensities, or pressures, using standard formulas and conversion tables.High
66
Monitor nuclear reactor equipment performance to identify operational inefficiencies, hazards, or needs for maintenance or repair.High
30
Measure the intensity and identify the types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments.Medium
49
Identify and implement appropriate decontamination procedures, based on equipment and the size, nature, and type of contamination.Medium
66
Warn maintenance workers of radiation hazards and direct workers to vacate hazardous areas.High
73
Perform testing, maintenance, repair, or upgrading of accelerator systems.High
22
Collect air, water, gas or solid samples for testing to determine radioactivity levels or to ensure appropriate radioactive containment.Medium
50
Decontaminate objects by cleaning them using soap or solvents or by abrading using brushes, buffing machines, or sandblasting machines.Medium
36
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Follow policies and procedures for radiation workers to ensure personnel safety.73
  2. Warn maintenance workers of radiation hazards and direct workers to vacate hazardous areas.73
  3. Conduct surveillance testing to determine safety of nuclear equipment.71
  4. Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety.70
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Perform testing, maintenance, repair, or upgrading of accelerator systems.01
  2. Monitor nuclear reactor equipment performance to identify operational inefficiencies, hazards, or needs for maintenance or repair.02
  3. Modify, devise, or maintain nuclear equipment used in operations.03
  4. Communicate with accelerator maintenance personnel to ensure readiness of support systems, such as vacuum, water cooling, or radio frequency power sources.04
  5. Monitor instruments, gauges, or recording devices under direction of nuclear experimenters.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency64
Physical dependency56
Adoption pressure56
Labour-market resilience65
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence80/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →