Will AI replace operations research analysts?
Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 61% of the working time in a typical operations research analyst job today. The other 39% still needs a person.
39% of the work still needs a person.
The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 46 to 61%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry.
17 responsibilities in a typical operations research analyst job. Median pay $88,940 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).
Still needs a person
- Help teams put solutions into practice AI helps
- Work with leaders to define goals
- Present modeling results to leaders AI helps
- Train staff to use models AI helps
- Observe and analyze the current system AI helps
- Design experiments when data is missing AI helps
AI can do or help with
- Observe and analyze the current system AI helps
- Help teams put solutions into practice AI helps
- Define and validate data for models AI helps
- Test and refine mathematical models AI helps
- Build mathematical models of problems AI helps
- Present modeling results to leaders AI helps
The biggest responsibilities on each side, ranked by a person's time on the left. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces, so one can show on both sides. See all 17, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.
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Questions people ask
Will AI replace operations research analysts?
Much of the work, but not all of it. AI could take on about 61% of the working time in a typical operations research analyst job today. The other 39% 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: observe and analyze the current system, help teams put solutions into practice, define and validate data for models, test and refine mathematical models, build mathematical models of problems, present modeling results to leaders.
Which parts still need a person?
The biggest ones: help teams put solutions into practice, work with leaders to define goals, present modeling results to leaders, train staff to use models, observe and analyze the current system, design experiments when data is missing.
How is this measured?
The U.S. Department of Labor lists 17 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0). Each 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. The evidence range for the share AI could take on is 46 to 61%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry. Scores version 0.8.8, updated November 13, 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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