BETA
Updated: Mar 24
BETA
Updated: Mar 24
Evolving
Last Update: 3/13/2026
Your role’s AI Resilience Score is
51.6%
Median Score
Changing Fast
Evolving
Stable
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.
What does this resilience result mean?
These roles are shifting as AI becomes part of everyday workflows. Expect new responsibilities and new opportunities.
AI Resilience Report for
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
They study animals and their habitats to understand their behavior and help protect wildlife and the environment.
This role is evolving
The career of Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists is labeled as "Evolving" because AI is becoming a helpful tool in their work, especially for tasks like identifying and counting species. AI can save a lot of time in data collection, but many important tasks, like designing studies and making decisions about habitats, still need human judgment and communication.
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View analysisChat with CoachLatest newsMore career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreThis role is evolving
The career of Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists is labeled as "Evolving" because AI is becoming a helpful tool in their work, especially for tasks like identifying and counting species. AI can save a lot of time in data collection, but many important tasks, like designing studies and making decisions about habitats, still need human judgment and communication.
Read full analysisContributing Sources
We aggregate scores from multiple models and supplement with employment projections for a more accurate picture of this occupation’s resilience. Expand to view all sources.
AI Resilience
AI Resilience Model v1.0
AI Task Resilience
CareerVillage's proprietary model that estimates how resilient each occupation's tasks are to AI automation and augmentation
Evolving31.7%
31.7%
Microsoft's Working with AI
AI Applicability
Measures how applicable AI tools (like Bing Copilot) are to each occupation based on real usage patterns
Evolving31.8%
31.8%
Anthropic's Observed Exposure
AI Resilience
Based on observed patterns of how Claude is being used across occupational tasks in real conversations
Evolving65.7%
65.7%
Will Robots Take My Job
Automation Resilience
Estimates the probability of automation for each occupation based on research from Oxford University and other academic sources
Stable87.8%
87.8%
Althoff & Reichardt
Economic Growth
Measured as "Wage bill" which is a long term projection for average wage × employment. It's the total labor income flowing to an occupation
Evolving39.1%
39.1%
Low Demand
Labor Market Outlook
We use BLS employment projections to complement the AI-focused assessments from other sources.
Learn about this scoreGrowth Rate (2024-34):
1.6%
Growth Percentile:
36.9%
Annual Openings:
1,400
Annual Openings Pct:
16.7%
Analysis of Current AI Resilience
Zoologist/Wildlife Biologist
Updated Quarterly • Last Update: 2/17/2026
What's changing and what's not
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
AI in the real world
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
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
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.
2
Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.
3
Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.
4
Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope.
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
Coordinate preventive programs to control the outbreak of wildlife diseases.
7
Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories and diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.
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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