Job Check
Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
Design objects, facilities, and environments to optimize human well-being and overall system performance, applying theory, principles, and data regarding the relationship between humans and respective technology. Investigate and analyze characteristics of human behavior and performance as it relates to the use of technology.
10 main tasks · most important first
Your main tasks and AI
Importance- 01Collect data through direct observation of work activities or witnessing the conduct of tests.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 02Conduct interviews or surveys of users or customers to collect information on topics, such as requirements, needs, fatigue, ergonomics, or interfaces.AI could speed this up a lot
- 03Advocate for end users in collaboration with other professionals, including engineers, designers, managers, or customers.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 04Inspect work sites to identify physical hazards.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 05Prepare reports or presentations summarizing results or conclusions of human factors engineering or ergonomics activities, such as testing, investigation, or validation.AI could speed this up a lot
- 06Recommend workplace changes to improve health and safety, using knowledge of potentially harmful factors, such as heavy loads or repetitive motions.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 07Perform functional, task, or anthropometric analysis, using tools, such as checklists, surveys, videotaping, or force measurement.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 08Provide technical support to clients through activities, such as rearranging workplace fixtures to reduce physical hazards or discomfort or modifying task sequences to reduce cycle time.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 09Assess the user-interface or usability characteristics of products.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 10Establish system operating or training requirements to ensure optimized human-machine interfaces.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
Tasks from O*NET® 31.0 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0, changed by us), most important first. “Already use” comes from Anthropic’s data on real work chats with Claude; “could speed up” from task ratings made with GPT-4 in 2023.
Four studies, side by side
None is a forecast of job loss4%of this job’s work time goes to tasks that people already do with Claude at work, counting tasks where AI only helps as half (2026).Anthropic, 2026
51%of this job’s tasks an AI model could do in half the time, counting tasks that need extra tools as half (rated in 2023).Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, 2023
Above 80% of jobsin how often and how well AI helped with this job’s work in Microsoft Copilot chats (2024 data).Microsoft Research (Tomlinson et al.), 2025
Above 44% of jobsin how much of this job’s physical work robots have been shown to do, from factories to homes (2026).Anthropic, 2026
Your human edge
AI touches every main task of this job in some way. Your edge is judgment: knowing when AI’s work is right, and checking it before it counts.