Animal Scientists
Machines can already do 54% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 83%. Most of the work is changing now.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Animal Scientists in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 54% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 0% of them.
- Forecast: machines can already do half of its tasks, and 83% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 3,100 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $68,940 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 70% for contact with people.
- Also called: Animal Nutrition Consultant, Animal Nutritionist, Animal Scientist, Beef Cattle Nutritionist.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct research concerning animal nutrition, breeding, or management to improve products or processes | 21% | 55% to 85% | |
| Write up or orally communicate research findings to the scientific community, producers, and the public | 20% | 70% to 95% | |
| Study nutritional requirements of animals and nutritive values of animal feed materials | 15% | 55% to 85% | |
| Develop improved practices in feeding, housing, sanitation, or parasite and disease control of animals | 10% | 50% to 85% | |
| Advise producers about improved products and techniques that could enhance their animal production efforts | 10% | 35% to 58% | |
| Study effects of management practices, processing methods, feed, or environmental conditions on quality and quantity of animal products, such as eggs and milk | 10% | 55% to 85% | |
| Research and control animal selection and breeding practices to increase production efficiency and improve animal quality | 7% | 55% to 85% | |
| Determine genetic composition of animal populations and heritability of traits, using principles of genetics | 6% | 55% to 85% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills animal scientists use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Animal Scientists?
Machines can already do half of its tasks. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of animal scientists?
Machines can do 54% of the tasks of animal scientists today and 83% by 2035. Most of the routine work moves to machines, and the people in the job move to oversight, judgement and client work.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 19-1011.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Animal Scientists: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/animal-scientists/