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Direct scientific or technical activities

Work activity · O*NET

Direct scientific or technical activities is an intermediate work activity in the O*NET database — a concrete task that recurs across many occupations , grouped under Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates. 53 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.

  • Manage information technology projects or system activities
  • Direct medical science or healthcare programs
  • Direct design or development activities
  • Direct natural resources management or conservation programs
  • Direct scientific activities
  • Coordinate software or hardware installation
  • Direct technical activities or operations
  • Manage scientific or technical project resources

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 89.1% When Copilot attempts this activity, how often it finishes the task
Scope AI handles 43.5% How much of the activity AI carries within a conversation
Positive user feedback 59.6% Share of interactions users rated positively
How often AI is applied here 59th 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.

Occupations that perform this activity

Ranked by how many of the occupation's tasks map to this activity.

Occupation Tasks
Information Security Engineers 4
Information Technology Project Managers 4
Molecular and Cellular Biologists 4
Epidemiologists 3
Surveyors 3
Aerospace Engineers 2
Anthropologists and Archeologists 2
Astronomers 2
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists 2
Computer Systems Analysts 2
Computer Systems Engineers/Architects 2
Conservation Scientists 2
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health 2
Microsystems Engineers 2
Project Management Specialists 2
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists 2
Social Science Research Assistants 2
Software Developers 2
Soil and Plant Scientists 2
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval 1
Art Directors 1
Atmospheric and Space Scientists 1
Automotive Engineers 1
Chemical Technicians 1
Chemists 1
Clinical Neuropsychologists 1
Commercial and Industrial Designers 1
Computer Network Architects 1
Computer Programmers 1
Computer and Information Research Scientists 1
Database Administrators 1
Environmental Restoration Planners 1
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health 1
Fashion Designers 1
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers 1
Food Science Technicians 1
Foresters 1
Geodetic Surveyors 1
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians 1
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers 1

Showing 40 of 53 occupations.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay AI task-overlap (horizontal) versus median pay (vertical), each as a percentile across all scored occupations, for 40 occupations in occupations that perform Direct scientific or technical activities.. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers Food Science Technicians Foresters Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians Conservation Scientists Geodetic Surveyors Clinical and Counseling Psychologists Chemists Anthropologists and Archeologists Computer and Information Research Scientists Microsystems Engineers Commercial and Industrial Designers Project Management Specialists AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
Occupations that perform Direct scientific or technical activities., by AI task-overlap and median pay

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.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Direct scientific or technical activities." 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/direct-scientific-or-technical-activities

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Direct scientific or technical activities. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/activities/direct-scientific-or-technical-activities

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-direct-scientific-or-technical-activities,
  title  = {Direct scientific or technical activities},
  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/direct-scientific-or-technical-activities}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.