Often handed to AI
Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.
- Document non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, processes, or results. · 0.4%
Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
Occupation · SOC 17-3029.01
Test the safety of structures, vehicles, or vessels using x-ray, ultrasound, fiber optic or related equipment.
Also called: NDE Technician (Non-Destructive Evaluation Technician) · NDT Specialist (Non-Destructive Testing Specialist) · NDT Technical Specialist (Non-Destructive Testing Technical Specialist) · NDT Technician (Non-Destructive Testing Technician) · Industrial Radiographer · NDT Coordinator (Non-Destructive Testing Coordinator) · NDT Inspector (Non-Destructing Testing Inspector) · Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) · Corrosion Control Technician (Corrosion Control Tech) · Corrosion Technician (Corrosion Tech) · NDE Specialist (Non-Destructive Evaluation Specialist) · NDI Technician (Non-Destructive Inspection Technician)
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-17-3029-01/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Prepare reports on non-destructive testing (NDT) results. · 0.4%
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Prepare reports on non-destructive testing (NDT) results. · 89.5% need a human
- Document non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, processes, or results. · 87.2% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+1.5% by 2034)
- 5,700 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans automation
- Median pay $77,390/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (36th), high AI task-overlap now (56th)
56th-percentile task overlap — yet about 5,700 openings a year (+1.5% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 2078% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 53rd | 0.2 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 48th | 0.6 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 69th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.6). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.2 · 36th percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Evaluate material properties, using radio astronomy, voltage and amperage measurement, or rheometric flow measurement. | 0.9% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +1.5% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 5,700 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 67,300 → 68,300 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international 4 occupations below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Non-Destructive Testing Specialists sits at the 52nd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
28% mean task exposure (2025)
52nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
−6 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical Engineering Technicians · 3116 | 32% | Not exposed |
| Mining and metallurgical technicians · 3117 | 28% | Not exposed |
| Mechanical Engineering Technicians · 3115 | 26% | Not exposed |
| Physical and Engineering Science Technicians Not Elsewhere Classified · 3119 | 26% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 20.8% working with AI · 39.0% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction |
| Typical AI autonomy | 3.5 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 58.4% |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Document non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, processes, or results. | Directive | 0.4% |
| Prepare reports on non-destructive testing (NDT) results. | Iteration | 0.4% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Prepare reports on non-destructive testing (NDT) results. | 89.5% | |
| Document non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, processes, or results. | 87.2% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me document non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, processes, or results.From: Document non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, processes, or results. · 0.4% of measured AI use · directive
-
Help me prepare reports on non-destructive testing (NDT) results.From: Prepare reports on non-destructive testing (NDT) results. · 0.4% of measured AI use · task iteration
Tasks
All 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Interpret or evaluate test results in accordance with applicable codes, standards, specifications, or procedures. Core · importance 4.8
- Interpret the results of all methods of non-destructive testing (NDT), such as acoustic emission, electromagnetic, leak, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, neutron radiographic, radiographic, thermal or infrared, ultrasonic, vibration analysis, and visual testing. Core · importance 4.8
- Identify defects in solid materials, using ultrasonic testing techniques. Core · importance 4.8
- Make radiographic images to detect flaws in objects while leaving objects intact. Core · importance 4.7
- Prepare reports on non-destructive testing results. Core · importance 4.7
- Select, calibrate, or operate equipment used in the non-destructive testing of products or materials. Core · importance 4.6
- Visually examine materials, structures, or components for signs of corrosion, metal fatigue, cracks, or other flaws, using tools and equipment such as endoscopes, closed-circuit television systems, and fiber optics. Core · importance 4.6
- Examine structures or vehicles such as aircraft, trains, nuclear reactors, bridges, dams, and pipelines, using non-destructive testing techniques. Core · importance 4.6
- Document non-destructive testing methods, processes, or results. Core · importance 4.5
- Produce images of objects on film, using radiographic techniques. Core · importance 4.5
- Supervise or direct the work of non-destructive testing trainees or staff. Core · importance 4.5
- Evaluate material properties, using radio astronomy, voltage and amperage measurement, or rheometric flow measurement. Supplemental · importance 4.4
- Conduct liquid penetrant tests to locate surface cracks by coating objects with fluorescent dyes, cleaning excess penetrant, and applying developer. Core · importance 4.4
- Map the presence of imperfections within objects, using sonic measurements. Core · importance 4.3
- Develop or use new non-destructive testing methods, such as acoustic emission testing, leak testing, and thermal or infrared testing. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Identify defects in concrete or other building materials, using thermal or infrared testing. Supplemental · importance 3.5
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Operate drones for remote inspection of large or hard-to-reach structures, such as wind turbines, bridges, or tall buildings.
Work activities
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
- Measure physical or chemical properties of materials or objects.
- Devise research or testing protocols.
- Document design or operational test results.
- Inspect finished products to locate flaws.
- Interpret design or operational test results.
- Test characteristics of materials or structures.
- Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.
- Calibrate scientific or technical equipment.
- Operate industrial equipment.
- Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment.
- Inspect equipment or systems.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.1 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Near Vision | 4.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.8 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.8 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.6 | |
| Far Vision | 3.6 | |
| Written Expression | 3.5 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.3 |
Knowledge
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Active Listening | 3.6 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Writing | 3.3 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 | |
| Mathematics | 3.1 | |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.9 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.3 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians , Military Technologies and Applied Sciences . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 68.2% | |
| Some College Courses | 9.1% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 9.1% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.5% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 4.5% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 4.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 6.4 | |
| Investigative | 5.0 | |
| Conventional | 4.6 |
Interest areas
Work styles
| Dependability | 4.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 3.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.6 | |
| Integrity | 2.3 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 1.7 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $47,010 |
| 25th percentile | $59,700 |
| Median (50th) | $77,390 |
| 75th percentile | $97,760 |
| 90th percentile | $114,630 |
| People employed | 64,410 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 17-3029), not for the specialty alone.
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 19,500 | $70,520 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 17,150 | $68,010 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 4,810 | $65,790 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 4,580 | $63,340 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1,460 | $66,920 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 1,380 | $63,000 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 1,360 | $77,840 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1,040 | $65,360 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 1,030 | $83,620 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 950 | $66,870 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 750 | $86,450 |
| Utilities · Sector | 730 | $100,100 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 64.34× | 4,580 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 9.96× | 4,810 |
| Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry | 6.45× | 100 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 4.37× | 130 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 4.33× | 19,500 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 3.22× | 17,150 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 3.13× | 750 |
| Utilities · Sector | 3.02× | 730 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing , Arts, Entertainment, & Design , Construction , Energy & Natural Resources , Public Service & Safety and Supply Chain & Transportation career clusters.
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians · 17-3021.00 Compare →
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Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Non-Destructive Testing Specialists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians Compare →
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians Compare →
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians Compare →
- Automotive Engineering Technicians Compare →
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians Compare →
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Associate's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
- Military Technologies and Applied Sciences · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 52nd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Non-Destructive Testing Specialists show 56th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,700 annual U.S. openings
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists rank in the 56th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 5,700 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.5%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $77,390, across about 64,410 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 21% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Non-Destructive Testing Specialists show 56th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,700 annual U.S. openings • Non-Destructive Testing Specialists rank in the 56th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 5,700 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.5%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $77,390, across about 64,410 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 21% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Non-Destructive Testing Specialists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3029-01 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
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
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Non-Destructive Testing Specialists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3029-01
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Non-Destructive Testing Specialists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3029-01
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-3029-01,
title = {Non-Destructive Testing Specialists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3029-01}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.