Test characteristics of materials or structures.

Test characteristics of materials or structures. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 10 occupations and seen in 12 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Test characteristics of materials or products. in Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials .

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 12 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 5 (42%) 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 4 of these tasks, with a mean mapped-usage share of 0.045% 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.

• Identify defects in solid materials, using ultrasonic testing techniques. · Non-Destructive Testing Specialists · importance 4.8 · no direct exposure
• Determine amount of air leakage in buildings, using a blower door machine. · Weatherization Installers and Technicians · importance 4.4 · no direct exposure
• Test soils or materials to determine the adequacy and strength of foundations, concrete, asphalt, or steel. · Civil Engineers · importance 4.2 · no direct exposure
• Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality. · Materials Engineers · importance 4.1 · exposure with tools
• Conduct materials test and analysis, using tools and equipment and applying engineering knowledge. · Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians · importance 4.0 · exposure with tools
• Perform tests such as blower-door tests to locate air leaks. · Energy Auditors · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Test machines, components, materials, or products to determine characteristics such as performance, strength, or response to stress. · Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Identify defects in concrete or other building materials, using thermal or infrared testing. · Non-Destructive Testing Specialists · importance 3.5 · exposure with tools
• Investigate or test specific construction project materials to determine compliance to specifications or standards. · Transportation Engineers · importance 3.5 · exposure with tools
• Assess, sort, characterize, or pack known or unknown materials. · Environmental Engineers · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
• Test fabrics or oversee testing so that garment care labels can be created. · Fashion Designers · importance 3.4 · exposure with tools
• Test new food products and equipment. · Dietitians and Nutritionists · importance 2.5 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
• Weatherization Installers and Technicians
• Civil Engineers
• Materials Engineers
• Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Energy Auditors
• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Environmental Engineers
• Fashion Designers
• Dietitians and Nutritionists

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-test-characteristics-of-materials-or-structures,
  title  = {Test characteristics of materials or structures.},
  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/test-characteristics-of-materials-or-structures}
}