Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models
Work activity · O*NET
Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models is an intermediate work activity in the O*NET database — a concrete task that recurs across many occupations , grouped under Thinking Creatively. 18 occupations report doing it as part of their work.
What it involves
The most common detailed activities O*NET records under this category, ranked by how many occupation tasks map to each.
- Develop theories or models of physical phenomena
- Develop mathematical models of environmental conditions
- Develop scientific or mathematical models
- Develop theories or models of social phenomena
How AI is applied to this activity
Microsoft's "Working with AI" study mapped real Bing Copilot conversations to O*NET work activities. The figures below are their measurements for this activity — they describe how AI is used today in one assistant's data, not a forecast that the activity will be automated.
| AI completes it successfully | 73.1% | When Copilot attempts this activity, how often it finishes the task |
| Scope AI handles | 24.1% | How much of the activity AI carries within a conversation |
| Positive user feedback | 51.6% | Share of interactions users rated positively |
| How often AI is applied here | 51st pct | Percentile across all measured activities by how often AI performs them |
Source: Microsoft "Working with AI" (working-with-ai). A high completion rate means AI can assist the activity in isolation — it does not mean an occupation that performs it is being automated, since every job blends many activities.
Detailed work activities
The more granular units of work O*NET groups under this activity, ordered by how many occupations perform them.
- Develop theories or models of physical phenomena. · 7 occupations · 10 tasks · 100% AI-exposed
- Develop mathematical models of environmental conditions. · 5 occupations · 8 tasks · 100% AI-exposed
- Develop scientific or mathematical models. · 5 occupations · 6 tasks · 100% AI-exposed
- Develop theories or models of social phenomena. · 1 occupations · 1 tasks · 100% AI-exposed
Occupations that perform this activity
Ranked by how many of the occupation's tasks map to this activity.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/activities/develop-scientific-or-mathematical-theories-or-models
Singulariki. (2026). Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/activities/develop-scientific-or-mathematical-theories-or-models
@misc{singulariki-develop-scientific-or-mathematical-theories-or-models,
title = {Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/activities/develop-scientific-or-mathematical-theories-or-models}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.