Collect biological specimens.

Collect biological specimens. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 6 occupations and seen in 6 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Collect environmental or biological samples. in Handling and Moving Objects .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 6 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 1 (17%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals. · Biological Technicians · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Collect samples from animals, plants, or products and route them to laboratories for microbiological assessment, ingredient verification, or other testing. · Agricultural Inspectors · importance 4.0 · no direct exposure
• Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures. · Anthropologists and Archeologists · importance 3.9 · exposure with tools
• Collect animal or crop samples. · Agricultural Technicians · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Inspect trees and collect samples of plants, seeds, foliage, bark, and roots to locate insect and disease damage. · Forest and Conservation Technicians · importance 3.3 · no direct exposure
• Collect and dissect animal specimens and examine specimens under microscope. · Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists · importance 2.6 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Biological Technicians
• Agricultural Inspectors
• Anthropologists and Archeologists
• Agricultural Technicians
• Forest and Conservation Technicians
• Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists

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
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

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

@misc{singulariki-collect-biological-specimens,
  title  = {Collect biological specimens.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/collect-biological-specimens}
}