Will AI replace data scientists?

This data cannot say. It measures how much of the work AI is already used for today: 46% of the tasks, which is high. It is not a forecast of job loss.

What do data scientists earn?

The national median is $120,230 a year (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Data Scientists: how much of the work does AI already do?

46% · High

AI is already used for a large share of the tasks in data scientists work.

Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet.

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What this means for your search

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Median pay: $120,230

What the job involves

Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.
Apply feature selection algorithms to models predicting outcomes of interest, such as sales, attrition, and healthcare use.
Apply sampling techniques to determine groups to be surveyed or use complete enumeration methods.
Clean and manipulate raw data using statistical software.

Related jobs that pay more or are less exposed

Chosen by overlap in skills and knowledge with data scientists, so the move uses what you already know.

Computer and Information Research Scientists
Pays about $20,000 more (median $140,300). AI use is lower: 34% of tasks.
Actuaries
Pays about $10,000 more (median $130,000). AI use is lower: 5% of tasks.
Mathematicians
Pays about $6,000 more (median $126,710).
Data Warehousing Specialists
Pays about $19,000 more (median $139,500).
Blockchain Engineers
AI use is lower: 31% of tasks.

Skills these jobs lean on more

Microsoft Visual Basic
Systems Analysis
Systems Evaluation

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Questions

Will AI replace data scientists?: This data cannot say. It measures how much of the work AI is already used for today: 46% of the tasks, which is high. It is not a forecast of job loss.
How is the number worked out?: Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index, March 2026.
What do data scientists earn?: The national median is $120,230 a year (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Exposure: Anthropic Economic Index, March 2026. Pay and growth: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tasks and skills: O*NET. All jobs.