Sector Analysis
Technology & AI Risk
Based on Oxford Martin School Research · 2013
Technology jobs show surprisingly varied risk — from near-certain automation to highly protected creative roles.
Average risk
20%
Jobs analyzed
7
Highest risk role
Data Scientist43% risk
Jobs in this sector
| Job title | Risk score 2026 | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | 43% | Medium |
| Software Developer | 36% | Low |
| Game Developer | 24% | Low |
| Statistician | 21% | Low |
| Product Manager | 12% | Low |
| Mechanical Engineer | 5% | Low |
| Civil Engineer | 1% | Low |
Analysis
The technology sector defies simple categorization. Entry-level programming and data entry roles score above 85% in the Oxford research. Senior software architects, UX researchers, and machine learning engineers score below 20%.
The irony of the sector: the people building AI tools are, for now, protected by the complexity of that work. But this protection is not guaranteed. Since 2013, AI coding assistants have fundamentally changed entry-level software development — a shift the original research did not model.
The highest-risk technology roles are those involving repetitive code generation, basic testing, and data processing. The lowest-risk roles involve system design, stakeholder communication, and novel problem-solving.
The technology sector is the clearest example of a bifurcating labor market: exceptional demand for top-tier talent, declining demand for routine execution.
Want to know your specific role?
Check your specific role →All risk scores based on Frey & Osborne (2013), Oxford Martin School. Note: this study predates generative AI — actual risk may be higher than shown.