Education occupation
Will AI replace Professor?
See how this occupation’s day-to-day work compares with other jobs in exposure to AI and automation, why it received this result, and where human skills remain essential.
Professor
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary · Education
Higher AI & automation exposure than 70% of jobs we compare.
Exposure index: 70 / 100
This compares the type of work in this job with the work in hundreds of other jobs.
This is a comparison between jobs — not a 70% chance of job loss.
Why did this job get this result?
- Preparing lecture materials, writing code examples, grading programming assignments, and conducting research happen on computers.
- Academic course syllabi, university grading scales, and degree progression requirements follow structured institutional policies.
- Instruction takes place in university lecture halls, computer labs, and academic research offices.
- Professors must advance novel academic research, formulate groundbreaking theoretical concepts, and critique complex student dissertations.
- Mentoring graduate researchers, guiding undergraduate career paths, and lecturing engagingly require inspiring human leadership.
How technology may change this work
Technology and human strengths
What AI & automation may affect
- Automated code autograders can compile student programming assignments and test outputs against unit test suites automatically.
- Online lecture platforms and interactive coding environments can deliver standardized coursework and introductory tutorials.
Human strengths in this job
- Formulating original academic research hypotheses that push the frontiers of theoretical computer science and AI ethics
- Mentoring doctoral students through difficult, multi-year research projects and helping them develop as independent scholars
- Guiding students through complex, ambiguous algorithmic abstractions that require personalized, one-on-one pedagogical dialogue
- Serving as ethical role models who challenge students to consider the societal, economic, and moral impacts of technology
How this result breaks down
These are model components, not percentages of the job or of how necessary people are.
How much the job involves information, data, writing, analysis or other digital work that AI and software may help with.
How much of the work follows regular, predictable or repeated steps.
How much of the physical work may be suitable for machines or robotics.
How much the job depends on judgment, creativity, communication and adapting to real situations.
How is the index calculated?
The Exposure Index is a percentile comparing this job's digital, routine, and physical tasks against all 897 occupations in the Model 2.1 dataset. A score of 70 means higher modeled exposure than approximately 70% of comparable jobs.
Your work may differ
How does your work compare?
Two people with the same job title can do very different work. Answer seven quick questions to see how your specific day-to-day tasks compare.
What people in this job commonly do
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations or assign this work to others.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as programming, data structures, and software design.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
How we compare jobs
We look at what people do in hundreds of occupations — including digital work, repeatable activities, physical automation and human skills — then compare the job with other occupations.
What this tool cannot predict
It cannot predict individual job loss, exact technology adoption timing or decisions by an individual employer.
Occupation and data details
O*NET-SOC: 25-1021.00
Career category: Education
Typical education: Master's degree
Data source: O*NET, U.S. Department of Labor.
This product includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Toolsyte has modified and scored some information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.