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The AI Resilience Report helps you understand how AI is likely to impact your current or future career. Drawing on data from over 1,500 occupations, it provides a clear snapshot to support informed career decisions.
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Somewhat Resilient
Last Update: 4/23/2026
Your role’s AI Resilience Score is
46.8%
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%).
Low
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%).
Med
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 forZoologists and Wildlife Biologists
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists are somewhat less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 7 sources.
A career as a Zoologist or Wildlife Biologist is labeled as "Somewhat Resilient" because AI is changing how data is collected and analyzed in wildlife studies, such as using AI to identify animals from images. While these tools save time, many key tasks like writing reports, planning studies, and making habitat decisions still require human judgment and communication skills.
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A career as a Zoologist or Wildlife Biologist is labeled as "Somewhat Resilient" because AI is changing how data is collected and analyzed in wildlife studies, such as using AI to identify animals from images. While these tools save time, many key tasks like writing reports, planning studies, and making habitat decisions still require human judgment and communication skills.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Zoologist/Wildlife Biologist
Updated Quarterly • Last Update: 2/17/2026
How is AI changing Zoologist/Wildlife Biologist jobs?
Wildlife researchers are already using AI as a helpful tool for some tasks, especially data collection. For example, teams train computer-vision systems on camera-trap photos and videos to automatically identify and count animals. A recent study used deep learning to recognize and count wild animals in 3.2 million images with over 93% accuracy, saving what would have been thousands of human-hours of work [1].
Another project used AI to estimate chimpanzee population density from video footage [1]. Similarly, free apps like Merlin Bird ID and iNaturalist use AI on your phone to identify birds and other species by their sounds or photos [2] [2]. Observations from these apps go straight into real scientific databases, helping researchers track wildlife.
In fact, a conservation tech catalog (WILDLABS) now lists dozens of AI/ML products (76 items) for wildlife monitoring [3].
However, many core wildlife biologist tasks still need humans. Writing reports, planning and running field studies, and advising on complex habitat decisions all require judgment and communication. AI tools might help analyze data or draft text, but experts must check and interpret results.
For now, tasks like teaching the public, designing experiments, and making management recommendations remain mostly human-led.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Zoologist/Wildlife Biologist?
AI tools are spreading in wildlife work, but adoption varies. Some tools are free or low-cost, which speeds use. The Merlin app, for example, is free and popular thanks to its AI features [2], and training models to analyze images has proven it can save years of manual effort [1].
Young people especially have embraced these AI nature apps — Cornell Lab scientists note many new users in their 20s and 30s sharing bird sightings on social media [2]. These factors encourage quick adoption where it helps.
On the other hand, expensive specialized gear (like drones or advanced sensors) can be costly for small conservation budgets. Wildlife agencies and NGOs must be sure new tech really improves results before switching over. Also, decisions about wildlife often involve people’s values and ethics, so managers take AI advice with care.
In sum, AI is being used more and more to help wildlife scientists (for counting species, analyzing data, and engaging the public), but human skills in judgment, communication, and care remain essential [1] [2].
Sources
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More Career Info
Career: Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
They study animals and their habitats to understand their behavior and help protect wildlife and the environment.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$72,860
Jobs (2024)
18,200
Growth (2024-34)
+1.6%
Annual Openings
1,400
Education
Bachelor'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
Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope.
2
Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.
3
Coordinate preventive programs to control the outbreak of wildlife diseases.
4
Oversee the care and distribution of zoo animals, working with curators and zoo directors to determine the best way to contain animals, maintain their habitats and manage facilities.
5
Make recommendations on management systems and planning for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options.
6
Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.
7
Prepare collections of preserved specimens or microscopic slides for species identification and study of development or disease.
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.
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