Short answer
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Aerospace Engineers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places aerospace engineers in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +8.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 3,800 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 24/100Higher than 14% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +8.3%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 3,800BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed aerospace engineers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Aerospace Engineers land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions4.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Making decisions and solving problems4.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Thinking creatively4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Documenting/recording information4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Processing information4.1/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards4.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Analyzing data or information4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for aerospace engineers
- Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
- Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.
- Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
- Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
- Maintain records of performance reports for future reference.
- Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +8.3% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 3,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 67,710 people work in the job today, at a median of $134,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full aerospace engineer profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than aerospace engineers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Aircraft Mechanic
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $79,870median a year
- Growth
- +5.4%
- Openings / yr
- 11,400
- Education
- Certificate
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 59/100
- resilience
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines and assemblies, such as hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
Avionics Technician
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $82,280median a year
- Growth
- +9.4%
- Openings / yr
- 1,700
- Education
- Certificate
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 49/100
- resilience
Install, inspect, test, adjust, or repair avionics equipment, such as radar, radio, navigation, and missile control systems in aircraft or space vehicles.
Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologist and Technician
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $73,900median a year
- Growth
- +2.6%
- Openings / yr
- 1,400
- Education
- Associate's
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 45/100
- resilience
Operate, test, maintain, or adjust unmanned, automated, servomechanical, or electromechanical equipment.
Mechanical Engineering Technologist and Technician
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $74,510median a year
- Growth
- +1.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,100
- Education
- Associate's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 42/100
- resilience
Apply theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, test, or adjust machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
Marine Engineer and Naval Architect
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $112,230median a year
- Growth
- +6.7%
- Openings / yr
- 500
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 38/100
- resilience
Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems.
Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologist and Technician
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $82,890median a year
- Growth
- +11.9%
- Openings / yr
- 1,100
- Education
- Associate's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 30/100
- resilience
Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used to launch, track, po…
Questions
Will AI Replace Aerospace Engineers? FAQ
Will AI replace aerospace engineers?
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +8.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 3,800 openings a year.
How exposed are aerospace engineers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Aerospace Engineers are in the very high category, alongside 198 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of an aerospace engineer's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are documenting/recording information, processing information and evaluating information to determine compliance with standards. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, inspecting equipment, structures, or materials and making decisions and solving problems. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being an aerospace engineer a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, aerospace engineers score 24 out of 100, higher than 14% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $134,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to aerospace engineers are less exposed to AI?
Aircraft Mechanic (low exposure, $79,870 median), Avionics Technician (moderate exposure, $82,280 median), Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologist and Technician (moderate exposure, $73,900 median), Mechanical Engineering Technologist and Technician (high exposure, $74,510 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than aerospace engineers, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.