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Will AI Replace Geothermal Technicians? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places geothermal technicians in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +2.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 18,300 openings a year.

Short answer

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow.

BLS AI exposure
ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
55/100Higher than 74% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+2.6%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
18,300BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed geothermal technicians 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. Geothermal Technicians land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.

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

  1. Low203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 discussions4.9/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Performing general physical activities3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Working outdoors in all weather4.7/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Documenting/recording information3.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Getting information4.4/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Repeating the same tasks3.7/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Email4.6/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

The tasks O*NET lists for geothermal technicians

  • Prepare and maintain logs, reports, or other documentation of work performed.
  • Collect and record data associated with operating geothermal power plants or well fields.
  • Monitor and adjust operations of geothermal power plant equipment or systems.
  • Identify equipment options, such as compressors, and make appropriate selections.
  • Perform pre- and post-installation pressure, flow, and related tests of vertical and horizontal geothermal loop piping.
  • Identify and correct malfunctions of geothermal plant equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, or controls.

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 +2.6% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 18,300 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 176,300 people work in the job today, at a median of $49,230 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full geothermal technician profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than geothermal technicians

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.

  1. Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $95,320median a year
    Growth
    +10.3%
    Openings / yr
    10,900
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    76/100
    resilience

    Install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems.

  2. Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $65,510median a year
    Growth
    +6.7%
    Openings / yr
    15,000
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    66/100
    resilience

    Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.

  3. Maintenance and Repair Worker, General

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $49,590median a year
    Growth
    +4.2%
    Openings / yr
    148,700
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    64/100
    resilience

    Perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair.

  4. Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $61,770median a year
    Growth
    +3.6%
    Openings / yr
    24,400
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    60/100
    resilience

    Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines.

  5. 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.

  6. Automotive Body and Related Repairer

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $54,890median a year
    Growth
    +3.7%
    Openings / yr
    12,600
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    58/100
    resilience

    Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames.

Will AI replace linemen?Will AI replace mobile heavy equipment mechanics?Will AI replace maintenance and repair workers?Will AI replace diesel mechanics?Will AI replace aircraft mechanics?Will AI replace auto body technicians?

Questions

Will AI Replace Geothermal Technicians? FAQ

Will AI replace geothermal technicians?

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow. 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 +2.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 18,300 openings a year.

How exposed are geothermal technicians to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Geothermal Technicians are in the moderate category, alongside 193 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 a geothermal technician'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, getting information and repeating the same tasks. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, performing general physical activities and repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being a geothermal technician a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, geothermal technicians score 55 out of 100, higher than 74% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $49,230 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 geothermal technicians are less exposed to AI?

Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer (low exposure, $95,320 median), Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines (low exposure, $65,510 median), Maintenance and Repair Worker, General (low exposure, $49,590 median), Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist (low exposure, $61,770 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than geothermal technicians, 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.