Develop software or computer applications.

Develop software or computer applications. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 9 occupations and seen in 11 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Design computer or information systems or applications. in Thinking Creatively .

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 10 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 10 (100%) 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 5 of these tasks, with a mean mapped-usage share of 0.005% 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.

• Install or program computer hardware or machine or instrumentation software in microprocessor-based systems. · Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians · importance 4.3 · direct LLM exposure
• Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data. · Surveying and Mapping Technicians · importance 4.2 · exposure with tools
• Develop or install software, such as firewalls and data encryption programs, to protect sensitive information. · Information Security Engineers · importance 4.1 · direct LLM exposure
• Adapt or design computer hardware or software for medical science uses. · Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers · importance 4.1 · direct LLM exposure
• Perform systems analysis or programming of radio frequency identification device (RFID) technology. · Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists · importance 4.1 · direct LLM exposure
• Design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing. · Robotics Engineers · importance 3.8 · direct LLM exposure
• Develop or implement software tools to assist in the detection, prevention, and analysis of security threats. · Information Security Engineers · importance 3.7 · direct LLM exposure
• Design, develop, and implement computer applications for use in mining operations such as mine design, modeling, or mapping or for monitoring mine conditions. · Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers · importance 3.7 · direct LLM exposure
• Create embedded software design programs. · Mechatronics Engineers · importance 3.5 · direct LLM exposure
• Develop or assist in the development of transportation-related computer software or computer processes. · Transportation Engineers · importance 3.0 · direct LLM exposure
• Develop software to control electrical systems. · 17-2071.00

Occupations that perform this

• Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians
• Surveying and Mapping Technicians
• Information Security Engineers
• Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers
• Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists
• Robotics Engineers
• Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
• Transportation Engineers
• 17-2071.00

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-develop-software-or-computer-applications,
  title  = {Develop software or computer applications.},
  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/develop-software-or-computer-applications}
}