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.
- Assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments. · 0.4%
Photonics Technicians
Occupation · SOC 17-3029.08
Build, install, test, or maintain optical or fiber optic equipment, such as lasers, lenses, or mirrors, using spectrometers, interferometers, or related equipment.
Also called: Fiber Optics Instructor · Laser Technician (Laser Tech) · Optics Technician (Optics Tech) · Photonics Technician (Photonics Tech) · Fiber Optics Technician (Fiber Optics Tech) · Optomechanical Technician (Optomechanical Tech) · Photonics Laboratory Technician (Photonics Lab Tech) · Ruling Technician (Ruling Tech) · Certified Laser Technician (Certified Laser Tech) · Electro-Optics Technician (Electro-Optics Tech) · Fiber Optics Assembler · Fiber Optics Cabling Specialist
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-17-3029-08/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.
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.
- Assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments. · 87.5% 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 augmentation
- 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 (52nd)
52nd-percentile task overlap — yet about 5,700 openings a year (+1.5% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 6000% 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 | 37th | 0.4 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 69th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.4). 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.
| Compute or record photonic test data. | 0.7% | |
| Assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments. | 0.6% |
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.
Photonics Technicians 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 | 60.0% working with AI · — handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Learning · you ask AI to explain or teach |
| Typical AI autonomy | 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments. | Learning | 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.
| Assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments. | 87.5% |
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 assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments.From: Assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments. · 0.4% of measured AI use · learning
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Compute or record photonic test data. Core · importance 4.3
- Maintain clean working environments, according to clean room standards. Core · importance 4.2
- Adjust or maintain equipment, such as lasers, laser systems, microscopes, oscilloscopes, pulse generators, power meters, beam analyzers, or energy measurement devices. Core · importance 4.2
- Assemble fiber optical, optoelectronic, or free-space optics components, subcomponents, assemblies, or subassemblies. Core · importance 3.9
- Optimize photonic process parameters by making prototype or production devices. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Document procedures, such as calibration of optical or fiber optic equipment. Core · importance 3.9
- Set up or operate assembly or processing equipment, such as lasers, cameras, die bonders, wire bonders, dispensers, reflow ovens, soldering irons, die shears, wire pull testers, temperature or humidity chambers, or optical spectrum analyzers. Core · importance 3.8
- Splice fibers, using fusion splicing or other techniques. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Assist scientists or engineers in the conduct of photonic experiments. Core · importance 3.8
- Test or perform failure analysis for optomechanical or optoelectrical products, according to test plans. Core · importance 3.7
- Build prototype optomechanical devices for use in equipment such as aerial cameras, gun sights, or telescopes. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Terminate, cure, polish, or test fiber cables with mechanical connectors. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Assist engineers in the development of new products, fixtures, tools, or processes. Core · importance 3.6
- Recommend optical or optic equipment design or material changes to reduce costs or processing times. Core · importance 3.6
- Set up or operate prototype or test apparatus, such as control consoles, collimators, recording equipment, or cables. Core · importance 3.5
- Perform diagnostic analyses of processing steps, using analytical or metrological tools, such as microscopy, profilometry, or ellipsometry devices. Core · importance 3.5
- Assemble or adjust parts or related electrical units of prototypes to prepare for testing. Core · importance 3.4
- Repair or calibrate products, such as surgical lasers. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Design, build, or modify fixtures used to assemble parts. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Assemble components of energy-efficient optical communications systems involving photonic switches, optical backplanes, or optoelectronic interfaces. Supplemental · importance 3.2
- Lay out cutting lines for machining, using drafting tools. Supplemental · importance 3.1
- Mix, pour, or use processing chemicals or gases according to safety standards or established operating procedures. Core · importance 3.1
- Fabricate devices, such as optoelectronic or semiconductor devices. Supplemental · importance 3.0
- Monitor inventory levels and order supplies as necessary. Core · importance 3.0
- Assemble devices or equipment to be used in green technology applications, including solar energy, high efficiency solid state lighting, energy management, smart buildings, or green processes. Supplemental
- Build photonics tools to be applied to electrical grids to detect hot spots, such as failing insulators or conductors. Supplemental
- Develop solar power sources for lasers used in fiber optics. Supplemental
- Fabricate sensors to be used to control wind turbines. Supplemental
- Monitor mechanical factors, such as turbine load or strain information. Supplemental
- Perform laser seam welding, heat treatment, or hard facing operations. Supplemental
Work activities
- Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
- Purchase materials, equipment, or other resources.
- Maintain clean work areas.
- Conduct quantitative failure analyses of operational data.
- Assist engineers or scientists with research.
- Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
- Prepare materials for processing.
- Assemble equipment or components.
- Design electronic or computer equipment or instrumentation.
- Create schematic drawings for electronics.
- Develop technical methods or processes.
- Assemble precision electronics or optical equipment.
- Install instrumentation or electronic equipment or systems.
- Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment.
- Operate industrial equipment.
- Calibrate scientific or technical equipment.
- Maintain electronic equipment.
- Fabricate devices or components.
- Create physical models or prototypes.
- Analyze test or validation data.
- Document design or operational test results.
- Prepare procedural documents.
- Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Engineering and Technology | 3.9 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.8 | |
| Mathematics | 3.5 | |
| Mechanical | 3.4 | |
| Production and Processing | 3.2 | |
| English Language | 3.2 | |
| Physics | 3.2 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.0 |
Abilities
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.6 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.5 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.4 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.4 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.3 | |
| Written Expression | 3.3 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.3 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.1 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Control Precision | 3.1 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.5 | |
| Active Listening | 3.4 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.4 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | |
| Writing | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Operations Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 | |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.3 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Troubleshooting | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Repairing | 3.0 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
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 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — 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.
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 40.9% | |
| High School Diploma | 27.3% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 13.6% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 9.1% | |
| Some College Courses | 4.5% | |
| Master's Degree | 4.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 5.5 | |
| Investigative | 4.2 |
Interest areas
| Engineering | 6.2 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 6.1 | |
| Physical Science | 5.0 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.1 | |
| Information Technology | 2.9 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 2.2 | |
| Office Work | 1.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.7 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 1.9 | |
| Integrity | 1.6 | |
| Perseverance | 1.6 |
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.
- Photonics Engineers · 17-2199.07 Compare →
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- Calibration Technologists and Technicians · 17-3028.00 Compare →
- Robotics Technicians · 17-3024.01 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3027.00 Compare →
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians · 17-3021.00 Compare →
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment · 49-2094.00 Compare →
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians · 17-3024.00 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 Photonics Technicians — 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.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Associate's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium 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
Photonics Technicians show 52nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,700 annual U.S. openings
- Photonics Technicians rank in the 52nd 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, 60% 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
Photonics Technicians show 52nd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 5,700 annual U.S. openings • Photonics Technicians rank in the 52nd 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, 60% 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 — "Photonics Technicians". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3029-08 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. "Photonics Technicians." 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-17-3029-08
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Photonics Technicians. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3029-08
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-3029-08,
title = {Photonics Technicians},
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-17-3029-08}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.