Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities

What it involves

The most common detailed activities O*NET records under this category, ranked by how many occupation tasks map to each.

• Observe individuals' activities to gather information or compile evidence
• Investigate personal characteristics or activities of individuals

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.

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.

• Observe individuals' activities to gather information or compile evidence. · 8 occupations · 11 tasks · 73% AI-exposed
• Investigate personal characteristics or activities of individuals. · 4 occupations · 6 tasks · 83% 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.

@misc{singulariki-investigate-individuals-background-behavior-or-activities,
  title  = {Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or 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/investigate-individuals-background-behavior-or-activities}
}