Short answer
Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Natural Sciences Managers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places natural sciences managers in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to change by +8.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 9,200 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- HighBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 35/100Higher than 31% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +8.2%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 9,200BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed natural sciences managers 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. Natural Sciences Managers land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.
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%
- High · this job190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 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 discussions4.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Developing and building teams4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Guiding, directing, and motivating subordinates4.1/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Documenting/recording information4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Processing information4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Analyzing data or information4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Working with computers4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for natural sciences managers
- Review project activities and prepare and review research, testing, or operational reports.
- Confer with scientists, engineers, regulators, or others to plan or review projects or to provide technical assistance.
- Design or coordinate successive phases of problem analysis, solution proposals, or testing.
- Determine scientific or technical goals within broad outlines provided by top management and make detailed plans to accomplish these goals.
- Develop client relationships and communicate with clients to explain proposals, present research findings, establish specifications, or discuss project status.
- Hire, supervise, or evaluate engineers, technicians, researchers, or other staff.
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 +8.2% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 9,200 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 108,690 people work in the job today, at a median of $167,220 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full natural sciences manager profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Questions
Will AI Replace Natural Sciences Managers? FAQ
Will AI replace natural sciences managers?
Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, 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 +8.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 9,200 openings a year.
How exposed are natural sciences managers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Natural Sciences Managers are in the high category, alongside 189 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 natural sciences manager'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 analyzing data or information. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships and developing and building teams. 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 natural sciences manager a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, natural sciences managers score 35 out of 100, higher than 31% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $167,220 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.
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.