UK AI Exposure · Professional occupations
Electrical engineers
Electrical engineers undertake research and design, direct construction and manage the operation and maintenance of electrical equipment, power stations, building control systems and other electrical products and systems.
- Employees (UK)
- 35k
- Median annual pay
- £59,930
- Exposure score ?
- 2.4/10 Low 8.6/10 Very high strict reading · with tools is 8.6/10 with-tools reading · strict is 2.4/10
- Wage exposure
- £503m £1.80bn
Higher exposure than 85% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means
A handful of tasks in this role are touchable by AI, mostly around paperwork, scheduling and basic writing. The shape of the role stays the same - some parts just get faster.
If you're in this role, here's what to do now
Pick the two or three most repetitive things in your week and try an LLM on them. Most people underestimate what Claude or ChatGPT can already do for admin-shaped work. The time you get back is the dividend.
Almost every routine task in this role is within reach of today's language models. Roles at this level are getting rebuilt - often not by disappearing, but by one person using AI to do three or five people's output.
If you're in this role, here's what to do now
You don't need to be afraid. You need to be the person doing the rebuilding. The operators who learn to direct AI at scale in this kind of work become hugely valuable. The ones who wait to be told what to do get told what to do - and that thing is often 'we don't need as many of you anymore.'
Where a project with Alex usually starts for this role
These are the highest-importance tasks a language model can already handle directly today. In a typical engagement the first wins come from building workflows around these, so they stop eating your team's time.
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Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
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Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
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Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.
These are the highest-importance tasks AI can already handle when paired with the right tools and context. In a typical engagement the first wins come from building workflows around these — usually the difference between an LLM that can technically do the job and one that actually does it inside your business.
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Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
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Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
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Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
Every role has three or four wedges like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days. Talk to Alex about a project →
The full task breakdown
Every O*NET task for this occupation, split by what AI can already do unaided versus what still needs a human. Importance is O*NET's 1–5 rating of how central each task is to the role.
Tasks via O*NET "Electrical Engineers" (17-2071.00).
What AI can already do
5 of 22 tasks · unaided
Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.
Prepare specifications for purchases of materials or equipment.
Plan or implement research methodology or procedures to apply principles of electrical theory to engineering projects.
Where humans still hold the line
17 of 22 tasks
Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems.
Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.
Develop systems that produce electricity with renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or biofuels.
Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements.
Develop software to control electrical systems.
Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes.
Supervise or train project team members, as necessary.
Assist in developing capital project programs for new equipment or major repairs.
Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency.
Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems.
Design electrical systems or components that minimize electric energy requirements, such as lighting systems designed to account for natural lighting.
Tasks via O*NET "Electrical Engineers" (17-2071.00).
What AI can already do
18 of 22 tasks · with tools
Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems.
Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.
Develop systems that produce electricity with renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or biofuels.
Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements.
Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.
Prepare specifications for purchases of materials or equipment.
Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes.
Plan or implement research methodology or procedures to apply principles of electrical theory to engineering projects.
Assist in developing capital project programs for new equipment or major repairs.
Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency.
Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems.
Design electrical systems or components that minimize electric energy requirements, such as lighting systems designed to account for natural lighting.
Where humans still hold the line
4 of 22 tasks
Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
Develop software to control electrical systems.
Supervise or train project team members, as necessary.
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Methodology
This role's exposure score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 GPT task labels, aggregated by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 via ISCO-08 (ONS Vol 2 coding index) and US SOC 2010 (BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional. ASHE covers employees only, so self-employed workers are not counted.
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