How likely is AI to replace Ship Engineers?

Published research puts Ship Engineers at 18 out of 100 for AI displacement risk, in the lower risk band. The number is a weighted consensus of 5 research sources and describes the typical version of the role, not any individual.

Do researchers agree on the risk for Ship Engineers?

Only partly. Individual estimates for Ship Engineers run from 5 to 40 out of 100 across the 5 sources behind this score, so the single number smooths over real disagreement. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in it.

Which transportation roles face similar AI exposure?

The closest published transportation roles to Ship Engineers by score are Bus Drivers, School (18/100), Conveyor Operators and Tenders (18/100), and Driver/Sales Workers (18/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Occupation baseline · Research consensus

Will AI replace Ship Engineers?

Lower risk

Baseline AI displacement risk for Ship Engineers, aggregated from 5 research sources.

What this score means

Ship Engineers is among the least exposed roles in Transportation. Most of what the job involves still sits outside what current AI can do, even as the tools around it keep changing. At 18 out of 100 it sits close to the Transportation average of 20. Across the 5 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 5 to 40, so the score is a weighted consensus rather than any single figure.

The number is a consensus estimate for the typical version of the role, built from published academic and industry research scored occupation by occupation. It is not a prediction about any individual. How scoring works

What this job actually involves

Exposure follows the work itself rather than the job title, so it is worth seeing what the role is made of. These are the tasks O*NET records for Ship Engineers, most central first, showing 12 of 17.

01Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff.
02Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed.
03Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified.
04Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers.
05Perform or participate in emergency drills, as required.
06Perform general marine vessel maintenance or repair work, such as repairing leaks, finishing interiors, refueling, or maintaining decks.
07Maintain or repair engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment, or assist other crew members with maintenance or repair duties.
08Maintain complete records of engineering department activities, including machine operations.
09Operate or maintain off-loading liquid pumps or valves.
10Maintain electrical power, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, or sewerage systems.
11Install engine controls, propeller shafts, or propellers.
12Clean engine parts and keep engine rooms clean.

Task statements from O*NET by the National Center for O*NET Development, used under CC BY 4.0. The tasks are descriptive; the exposure score above is ours.

The research behind this score

This baseline aggregates 5 research sources that scored Ship Engineers for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026Anthropic
02Global Automation Atlas: Task Substitution Exposure by Occupation · 2026Garg, Crosta, Baier (2026), arXiv:2605.17086
03Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations · 2025Tomlinson, Jaffe et al., Microsoft Research (2025)
04GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin, Rock (Science, 2024)
05AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023Felten, Raj, Seamans (2023)

Common questions

How likely is AI to replace Ship Engineers?: Published research puts Ship Engineers at 18 out of 100 for AI displacement risk, in the lower risk band. The number is a weighted consensus of 5 research sources and describes the typical version of the role, not any individual.
Do researchers agree on the risk for Ship Engineers?: Only partly. Individual estimates for Ship Engineers run from 5 to 40 out of 100 across the 5 sources behind this score, so the single number smooths over real disagreement. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in it.
Which transportation roles face similar AI exposure?: The closest published transportation roles to Ship Engineers by score are Bus Drivers, School (18/100), Conveyor Operators and Tenders (18/100), and Driver/Sales Workers (18/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Also covers

Barge Engineer · Deck Engineer · Engineer · Engineering Watch Officer · Equipment Maintenance Marine Engineer · Equipment Operating Engineer · Ferry Engineer · Fire Boat Engineer and related titles

Estimated displacement window

The dated estimate for this role is included in the full personalised report.

Your number is not the baseline

Seniority, sector, and how much of your day is routine all shift the score. Answer a few questions and get your personal risk score free, no signup.

Get my personal score

Free · No credit card · No signup

More transportation occupations

All transportation occupations

Informational guidance based on published research, not professional career or financial advice. Scores update as new research is ingested.