Jobs · Data scientist

Will AI replace data scientists?

Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 72% of the working time in a typical data scientist job today. The other 28% still needs a person.

16 responsibilities · a typical data scientist job

28% of the work still needs a person.

Still needs a person: 28% of the timeAI could take on: 72%

Median pay $120,230 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

By our scores, AI could do or help with every listed responsibility. A person still checks its work.

AI can do or help with

  • Analyze large data sets with software AI can do it
  • Turn data into charts and visuals AI can do it
  • Clean and organize raw data AI helps
  • Compare models using performance metrics AI can do it
  • Test and refine prediction models AI helps
  • Find patterns and trends in data AI helps

The biggest responsibilities of each kind. "AI helps" means a person still does it, with AI taking on part of the time. See all 16, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace data scientists?

Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 72% of the working time in a typical data scientist job today. The other 28% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.

Which parts of the job can AI do?

The biggest ones AI can do or help with: analyze large data sets with software, turn data into charts and visuals, clean and organize raw data, compare models using performance metrics, test and refine prediction models, find patterns and trends in data.

Which parts still need a person?

By our scores, AI could do or help with every listed responsibility, but a person still checks its work.

How is this measured?

Each of the 16 responsibilities the U.S. Department of Labor lists for this job (O*NET 31.0) is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. Scores version 0.4.2, updated September 28, 2026.

Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.

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