Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys.

Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 16 occupations and seen in 23 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Collect information about patients or clients. in Getting Information .

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 23 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 16 (70%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

The Anthropic Economic Index observes real AI use on 2 of these tasks, with a mean mapped-usage share of 0.013% per task.

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.

• Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories. · Clinical Neuropsychologists · importance 5.0 · exposure with tools
• Conduct surveys and collect data, using methods such as interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, market analysis surveys, public opinion polls, literature reviews, and file reviews. · Survey Researchers · importance 4.8 · exposure with tools
• Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories. · Neuropsychologists · importance 4.7 · exposure with tools
• Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents. · Anthropologists and Archeologists · importance 4.6 · exposure with tools
• Conduct interviews to arrange for the preparation of obituary notices, to assist with the selection of caskets or urns, and to determine the location and time of burials or cremations. · Embalmers · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Obtain informed consent of research subjects or their guardians. · Social Science Research Assistants · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Administer standardized tests to research subjects, or interview them to collect research data. · Social Science Research Assistants · importance 4.4 · exposure with tools
• Assess an individual child's needs, limitations, and potential, using observation, review of school records, and consultation with parents and school personnel. · School Psychologists · importance 4.4 · exposure with tools
• Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods. · Clinical and Counseling Psychologists · importance 4.4 · exposure with tools
• Observe and interview workers to obtain information about the physical, mental, and educational requirements of jobs, as well as information about aspects such as job satisfaction. · Industrial-Organizational Psychologists · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Collect data about the attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in groups, using observation, interviews, and review of documents. · Sociologists · importance 4.3 · exposure with tools
• Conduct research to gather information about survey topics. · Survey Researchers · importance 4.2 · exposure with tools
• Obtain and study medical, psychological, social, and family histories by interviewing individuals, couples, or families and by reviewing records. · Clinical and Counseling Psychologists · importance 4.0 · exposure with tools
• Collect data through surveys or experimentation. · Biostatisticians · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Interview individuals, and research public databases in order to obtain information. · Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Visit suppliers of materials or users of products to gather specific information. · Materials Scientists · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
• Perform on-site field work which may involve interviewing people, inspecting and identifying artifacts, note-taking, viewing sites and collections, and repainting exhibition spaces. · Museum Technicians and Conservators · importance 3.2 · no direct exposure
• Observe group interactions and role affiliations to collect data, identify problems, evaluate progress, and determine the need for additional change. · Sociologists · importance 3.2 · exposure with tools
• Interview people to gather information about historical events and to record oral histories. · Historians · importance 3.2 · no direct exposure
• Interview specialists in desired fields to obtain and develop data for park information programs. · Park Naturalists · importance 3.0 · exposure with tools
• Observe individuals at play, in group interactions, or in other contexts to detect indications of cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities. · Clinical and Counseling Psychologists · importance 3.0 · no direct exposure
• Study consumers' reactions to new products and package designs, and to advertising efforts, using surveys and tests. · Industrial-Organizational Psychologists · importance 2.6 · exposure with tools
• Conduct interviews, surveys and site inspections concerning factors that affect land usage, such as zoning, traffic flow and housing. · Urban and Regional Planners · exposure with tools

Occupations that perform this

• Clinical Neuropsychologists
• Survey Researchers
• Anthropologists and Archeologists
• Embalmers
• Social Science Research Assistants
• School Psychologists
• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
• Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
• Sociologists
• Biostatisticians
• Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians
• Materials Scientists
• Museum Technicians and Conservators
• Historians
• Park Naturalists
• Urban and Regional Planners

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
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

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

@misc{singulariki-collect-information-from-people-through-observation-interviews-or-surveys,
  title  = {Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/collect-information-from-people-through-observation-interviews-or-surveys}
}