Mostly Resilient
Last Update: 6/19/2026
AI Resilience Score for Comp & Info Research Sci:
56.1%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Med
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Med
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
High
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
There are a reasonable number of sources for this result, but there is some disagreement between them.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forComputer and Information Research Scientists
$140,910 median salary•3,200 annual openings•SOC Code: 15-1221.00
Computer and Information Research Scientists are somewhat more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 7 sources.
Computer and information research scientists are labeled "Mostly Resilient" because, while AI is rapidly taking over routine coding and data tasks, the most important parts of this job still require deeply human skills like judgment, creativity, and ethical decision-making. AI tools are actually making these researchers more productive rather than replacing them, helping them spot patterns and generate ideas faster, but humans are still needed to evaluate proposals, mentor teams, and decide which problems are worth solving in the first place.
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Computer and information research scientists are labeled "Mostly Resilient" because, while AI is rapidly taking over routine coding and data tasks, the most important parts of this job still require deeply human skills like judgment, creativity, and ethical decision-making. AI tools are actually making these researchers more productive rather than replacing them, helping them spot patterns and generate ideas faster, but humans are still needed to evaluate proposals, mentor teams, and decide which problems are worth solving in the first place.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Comp & Info Research Sci
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Comp & Info Research Sci jobs?
Right now, AI is mostly augmenting computer and information research scientists rather than fully replacing them — but the line is shifting fast. OpenAI's chief scientist told MIT Technology Review [1] that the company is building an "AI researcher," with an "autonomous AI research intern" planned for September 2026 and a fully automated multi-agent research system targeted for 2028. Academic progress is real too: Nature recently published "The AI Scientist," [2] a system that generates ideas, writes code, runs experiments, and even drafts manuscripts — one of which passed first-round peer review at a top machine-learning workshop.
At national labs, Oak Ridge is building "autonomous science" pipelines [3] that let AI agents direct experiments end to end. Stanford's 2026 AI Index reports [4] that AI publications in the sciences jumped 26–28% year over year and that agent success on real-world tasks rose from 20% to 77%. Still, judgment-heavy core tasks — evaluating proposals, negotiating with vendors, mentoring staff — remain firmly human.
As one Stanford computer scientist put it for HAI [4], AI is great at spotting gaps, but judgment calls still need people.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Comp & Info Research Sci?
Adoption in this field is unusually fast because research scientists build the tools, so they're the first to try them. The Computing Research Association [5] is even funding early-career fellowships in trustworthy AI to keep humans guiding the work. Costs are low — many AI coding and research agents are already commercial — and the productivity payoff is huge.
But there's a catch for newcomers: IEEE Spectrum reports [6] that U.S. programmer employment fell 27.5% between 2023 and 2025, while design-heavy software developer roles barely budged. Fortune notes [7] that employment for developers aged 22–25 dropped nearly 20% from late 2022, though BCG argues [8] that "AI helps engineers do their jobs more effectively rather than replacing them," and starting salaries for CS majors are still up about 7%. The hopeful takeaway: skills that combine technical depth with creativity, ethics, teamwork, and big-picture problem-solving are exactly what's growing in demand — and those are skills you can absolutely build.
Sources
Will AI replace Comp & Info Research Sci?
No. We don't think AI will replace Computer and Information Research Scientists, though we do expect the job to change.
Our 56.1% AI Resilience Score reflects a real tension in this field. AI is already doing serious research work: Nature published "The AI Scientist" [2], a system that generates ideas, runs experiments, and drafts papers, with one passing peer review at a machine-learning workshop. OpenAI has announced plans for a fully automated multi-agent research system by 2028 [1]. These aren't distant threats. They are happening now, and they will reshape what a typical workday looks like.
What stays human is the harder stuff: evaluating which problems are worth solving, making ethical calls, mentoring the next generation of researchers, and exercising the kind of judgment that AI can simulate but not truly own. As Stanford's AI Index notes [4], AI is good at spotting gaps, but judgment calls still need people.
The economic picture offers real encouragement. BCG finds that AI helps engineers do their jobs more effectively rather than replacing them [8], and starting salaries in the field are still climbing. The researchers who will thrive are those who combine technical depth with creativity, ethics, and big-picture thinking. Those skills are absolutely learnable.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Comp & Info Research Sci
These articles provide valuable insights for aspiring Computer and Information Research Scientists. Understanding the interplay between computer science and AI, as discussed in "Computer Science vs. AI," prepares students for a career in a field increasingly influenced by AI technologies. The article on Thorsten Joachims highlights leadership opportunities in AI strategy, demonstrating how professionals can impact organizational AI initiatives. Additionally, the "Top AI graduate programs" article emphasizes the importance of strong educational foundations, linking elite programs to job market success. Embracing AI resilience in this evolving landscape is crucial for future success.
Top AI graduate programs stand out as job market shifts
www.msn.com • 5/20/2026
Elite programs lead: Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and Stanford offer research-driven AI graduate programs linked to top employers and strong job...
Thorsten Joachims named vice provost for AI strategy
news.cornell.edu • 1/27/2026
Joachims, professor of computer science and information science and director of the Cornell AI initiative, will coordinate AI across...
What Is an AI Research Scientist? 2026 Career Guide
www.coursera.org • 11/14/2025
As an AI research scientist, you'll shape AI advancements by researching and analyzing information that can help progress AI developments.
Computer Science Education in the Age of AI
www.boisestate.edu • 7/25/2025
Generative AI tools including tools that use Large Language Models (LLMs), like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and many more, are increasingly...
Computer Science vs. AI: How the Fields Fit Together
semo.edu • 7/9/2025
An analysis of computer science vs. AI becomes increasingly relevant in an age of growing AI adoption. Learn how to prepare for a career in...
More Career Info
Career: Computer and Information Research Scientists
They solve complex computer problems by developing new technology and improving how computers work, helping make our digital world faster and smarter.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$140,910
Jobs (2024)
40,300
Growth (2024-34)
+19.7%
Annual Openings
3,200
Education
Master's degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Participate in staffing decisions and direct training of subordinates.
2
Meet with managers, vendors, and others to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.
3
Participate in multidisciplinary projects in areas such as virtual reality, human-computer interaction, or robotics.
4
Analyze problems to develop solutions involving computer hardware and software.
5
Evaluate project plans and proposals to assess feasibility issues.
6
Maintain network hardware and software, direct network security measures, and monitor networks to ensure availability to system users.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
