---
title: "Will AI Replace Geothermal Technicians? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates geothermal technicians' exposure to AI as moderate. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (+2.6%…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-geothermal-technicians"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Geothermal Technicians? (2026)

**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.

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.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Moderate | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 55/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +2.6% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 18,300 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $49,230 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low | 203 |
| Moderate (this job) | 194 |
| High | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Face-to-face discussions: 4.9/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Performing general physical activities: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Working outdoors in all weather: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work context)

## What AI reaches first

- Documenting/recording information: 3.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Getting information: 4.4/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repeating the same tasks: 3.7/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Email: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)

## O\*NET tasks

- 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.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than geothermal technicians

- [Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electrical-power-line-installer-and-repairer): BLS exposure Low, median $95,320; [Will AI replace linemen?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-linemen)
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanic): BLS exposure Low, median $65,510; [Will AI replace mobile heavy equipment mechanics?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics)
- [Maintenance and Repair Worker, General](https://nuecareer.com/careers/maintenance-and-repair-worker-general): BLS exposure Low, median $49,590; [Will AI replace maintenance and repair workers?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-maintenance-and-repair-workers)
- [Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/bus-and-truck-mechanic-and-diesel-engine-specialist): BLS exposure Low, median $61,770; [Will AI replace diesel mechanics?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-diesel-mechanics)
- [Aircraft Mechanic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/aircraft-mechanic): BLS exposure Low, median $79,870; [Will AI replace aircraft mechanics?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-aircraft-mechanics)
- [Automotive Body and Related Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/automotive-body-and-related-repairer): BLS exposure Low, median $54,890; [Will AI replace auto body technicians?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-auto-body-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.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/geothermal-technician.

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This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology