Professionals · code 2114
Geologists and geophysicists
Geologists and geophysicists conduct research; improve or develop concepts, theories and operational methods; or apply scientific knowledge relating to geology and geophysics in such fields as oil, gas and mineral exploration and extraction, water conservation, civil engineering, telecommunications and navigation, and assessment and mitigation of the effects of development and waste disposal projects on the environment. Tasks include - (a) conducting research and improving or developing concepts, theories and operational methods related to geology and geophysics; (b) studying composition and structure of the Earth’s crust, examining rocks, minerals, fossils and other materials to determine processes affecting the development of the Earth, trace evolution of past life, establish the nature and chronology of geological formations and assess their commercial applications; (c) interpreting research data and preparing geological reports, maps, charts and diagrams, reports and papers; (d) applying geological knowledge to problems encountered in civil engineering projects such as the construction of dams, bridges, tunnels, and large buildings, and land reclamation projects; (e) using various remote sensing programmes to investigate and measure seismic, gravitational, electrical, thermal and magnetic forces affecting the Earth; (f) estimating weight, size and mass of the Earth and composition and structure of its interior, and studying the nature, activity and predictability of volcanoes, glaciers and earthquakes; (g) charting the Earth’s magnetic field and applying this and other collected data for broadcasting, navigation and other purposes; (h) studying and measuring physical properties of seas and the atmosphere and their interrelationship, such as the exchange of thermal energy; (i) locating and determining the nature and extent of oil, gas and mineral deposits using seismological, gravimetric, magnetic, electrical or radiometric methods; (j) identifying deposits of construction materials and determining their characteristics and suitability for use as concrete aggregates, road fill or for other applications; (k) researching the movement, distribution and physical properties of ground and surface waters; (l) advising in areas such as waste management, route and site selection and the restoration of contaminated sites. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Geological oceanographer - Geologist - Geophysical oceanographer - Geophysicist - Geoscientist
A few tasks are affected, but the heart of the job isn't. It ranks 288 of 427 for holding up against AI.
Also known as
- mineralogist
- geologist
- geophysicist
Job titles from the EU's ESCO list. Search for any of them on the jobs page and you'll end up here.
against AI Minimal Exposure
AI could take on 36.3 of 100, on average
so it holds up at 100 − 36.3 = 63.7
That's the whole sum, and you can check it against the ILO's study.
out of 100
From O*NET, averaged across 2 US jobs
and cramped
finger skill 26.7 · hand skill 21.5 · cramped spaces 17.6 · averaged
Kind of hands-on work · hands-on under 50 Less than half hands-on
Less than half of this job is hands-on. Robots still matter, but for a smaller part of the work, so we don't sort it any further.
estimated O*NET 31.0 BLS occupational crosswalk chain ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC (Aug 2012, rev. Jun 2015); 2010 to 2018 SOC (Nov 2017); O*NET-SOC 2019 taxonomy data 0.7-work-setting measures chosen by Frey & Osborne (2017) · the grouping is a sorting, not a measurement
What this number leaves out This job rates 44.8 out of 100 for how hands-on it is. The score above only looks at AI tools, not robots, but for work this far from the physical that matters less.
The tasks behind the score
The score is the average of these. A job is really a bundle of tasks, and an average can hide how uneven that bundle is.
The task AI could do most of scores 51, while the average is 36.3. A big gap means some of this job is wide open to AI and some of it barely at all. That's quite different from a job where everything sits somewhere in the middle, even when the averages match.
- 51
Charting the Earth's magnetic field and applying this and other collected data for broadcasting, navigation and other purposes
Medium - 50
Studying and measuring physical properties of seas and the atmosphere and their inter-relationship, such as the exchange of thermal energy
Medium - 48.5
Interpreting research data and preparing geological reports, maps, charts and diagrams, reports and papers
Low - 39.8
Advising in areas such as waste management, route and site selection and the restoration of contaminated sites.
Low - 39
Conducting research and improving or developing concepts, theories and operational methods related to geology and geophysics
Low - 38
Using various remote sensing programmes to investigate and measure seismic, gravitational, electrical, thermal, and magnetic forces affecting the Earth
Low - 33.5
Applying geological knowledge to problems encountered in civil engineering projects such as the construction of dams, bridges, tunnels, and large buildings; and land reclamation projects
Low - 33
Researching the movement, distribution and physical properties of ground and surface waters
Low - 27.8
Studying composition and structure of the Earth's crust, examining rocks, minerals, fossils and other materials to determine processes affecting the development of the Earth, trace evolution of past life, establish nature and chronology of geological formations and assess their commercial applications
Low - 27
Estimating weight, size and mass of the Earth and composition and structure of its interior, and studying the nature, activity and predictability of volcanoes, glaciers and earthquakes
Low - 25
Locating and determining the nature and extent of oil, gas and mineral deposits using seismological, gravimetric, magnetic, electrical or radiometric methods
Low - 23.5
Identifying deposits of construction materials and determining their characteristics and suitability for use as concrete aggregates, road fill or for other applications
Very Low
12 tasks · the High to Very Low labels are the ILO's
from the source Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs 2025 index data 0.7-work-setting
Helped, or replaced?
The score above can't tell a tool that makes you faster from one that does the task instead of you. Jobs and Skills Australia looked at those two things separately, and this is their result, matched to this job.
One Australian job matches, but only partly: not everyone in it does this job. Treat the numbers as a rough guide.
- AI helps you
- 72
- AI does it for you
- 33
Helping wins by 39 points.
estimated Our Gen AI Transition (Gen AI Capacity Study) September 2025 detailed data release data 0.7-work-setting matched to Australian jobs 2344
Compared with similar jobs
There are 92 jobs in the “Professionals” group, averaging 61.3. This one is above that.
- Creative and performing artists not e… 87.1
- Veterinarians 85.8
- Dentists 85.1
- Religious professionals 83.4
- Dancers and choreographers 80.6
- Health professionals not elsewhere cl… 80.5
- Early childhood educators 79.2
- Visual artists 79
- Paramedical practitioners 76.7
- Optometrists and ophthalmic opticians 76.3
- Audiologists and speech therapists 76.2
- Nursing professionals 74.8
- Primary school teachers 73.9
- Specialist medical practitioners 72.9
- Environmental and occupational health… 72
- Musicians, singers and composers 72
- Social work and counselling professio… 71.7
- Physiotherapists 71.6
- Special needs teachers 71.6
- Farming, forestry and fisheries advis… 71.5
- Generalist medical practitioners 71.3
- Mining engineers, metallurgists and r… 70.7
- Secondary education teachers 70.2
- Midwifery professionals 70.1
- Civil engineers 69.8
- Engineering professionals not elsewhe… 69.5
- Judges 68.7
- Electrical engineers 68.6