← All 785 jobsFile 19-3094
Political Scientists
Also filed here: Policy analyst, Political scientist, Public policy
Being rewritten
AI already performs most of the work in this job. The BLS expects 2% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #12 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $142,080 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 6,100 in the US, with about 400 openings a year
The work, 12 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI does this: Teach academic or vocational subjects14%
AI performed this in about 1 in 70 Copilot conversations and completed it 84% of the time.
AI helps with this: Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models12%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,980 conversations, and it got them there 66% of the time.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise12%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI does this: Present research or technical information12%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on educational or vocational matters10%
AI performed this in about 1 in 293 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Analyze data to improve operations9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Research historical or social issues9%
AI performed this in about 1 in 360 Copilot conversations and completed it 88% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on legal or regulatory matters7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 456 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Serve on organizational committees5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Analyze market or industry conditions4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,486 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI does this: Evaluate programs, practices, or processes3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,764 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Prepare legal or regulatory documents2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 98 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 400 openings a year as people retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 44% of the workAstronomers40% AI does, against 71% here+7.8% by 2035 · $128,820 · Doctoral or professional degree
- Shares 40% of the workLaw Teachers, Postsecondary56% AI does, against 71% here+2.6% by 2035 · $128,500 · Doctoral or professional degree
- Shares 40% of the workEconomics Teachers, Postsecondary61% AI does, against 71% here+2.4% by 2035 · $123,920 · Doctoral or professional degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Planet front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.39, higher than 99% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 19-3094 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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