Operate laboratory or field equipment
Work activity · O*NET
Operate laboratory or field equipment is an intermediate work activity in the O*NET database — a concrete task that recurs across many occupations , grouped under Controlling Machines and Processes. 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.
- Operate laboratory equipment to analyze medical samples
- Operate laboratory or field equipment
- Operate precision equipment to control microscopic or nanoscopic processes
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 | 50.0% | When Copilot attempts this activity, how often it finishes the task |
| Scope AI handles | 0.0% | How much of the activity AI carries within a conversation |
| Positive user feedback | 100.0% | Share of interactions users rated positively |
| How often AI is applied here | 9th 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.
- Operate laboratory or field equipment. · 8 occupations · 8 tasks · 0% AI-exposed
- Operate laboratory equipment to analyze medical samples. · 4 occupations · 8 tasks · 38% AI-exposed
- Operate precision equipment to control microscopic or nanoscopic processes. · 2 occupations · 5 tasks · 20% 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. "Operate laboratory or field equipment." 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/operate-laboratory-or-field-equipment
Singulariki. (2026). Operate laboratory or field equipment. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/activities/operate-laboratory-or-field-equipment
@misc{singulariki-operate-laboratory-or-field-equipment,
title = {Operate laboratory or field equipment},
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/operate-laboratory-or-field-equipment}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.