◆ Philosophy

What an ai ethics researcher
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
41,530in the US (2025)
$80,340median pay / year
7systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Recruit and hire new faculty.
Post the tenure-track job ad for an AI ethics faculty line in the Depa…3 sources agree

The shape of the day

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The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work12
Recruit and hire new faculty.+
Post the tenure-track job ad for an AI ethics faculty line in the Department of Computer Science, screen applications for research on fairness and accountability, shortlist five candidates by April 30, and schedule remote interviews with the hiring committee and the dean.
escojdonet3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Grade papers and exams+
Grade the midterm essays for AI Ethics 501 against the published rubric, record scores and brief constructive comments for each student, flag any academic integrity concerns, and upload the grades with feedback to the course gradebook by next Wednesday.
escojdonet3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Maintain student attendance and records+
Update the course attendance register for AI Ethics 501, mark excused and unexcused absences for the past month, note patterns of concern for three students, export the report and send it to the academic adviser and student support by Friday.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Keep current with field literature and conferences+
Compile a two-page research digest of the latest AI ethics conference proceedings, list five papers directly affecting our lab, propose which conferences to attend this year, and circulate to the group and department head before the faculty meeting on Monday.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Liaise with university colleagues+
Set up a one-hour meeting with Dr. Chen, Professor Alvarez and the lab manager next Tuesday to review draft policy recommendations, attach the two-page summary and the dataset overview, and request their written feedback within five working days.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Moderate classroom discussions+
Lead tomorrow's seminar on ethical frameworks in AI for Graduate Ethics 501, enforce the classroom safety norms, keep discussion on topic, call out misinformation gently, and file a one-page incident note by Friday if any student safety issues arise.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Provide clinical services such as assessment and psychotherapy+
Schedule a one-hour assessment and follow-up psychotherapy intake for client Anna Morales next Wednesday, review her intake questionnaire, note risk assessment and consent status, and prepare a two-page clinical summary to add to her record within 24 hours.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Write letters of recommendation for students.+
Write a strong two-page letter of recommendation for Sarah Kim for the NSF fellowship, emphasise her algorithmic fairness project, provide specific examples of leadership and methods competence, and email the signed PDF to her by Monday morning.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Grow the practice4
Work with people2
Watch and assess2

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
9 tasksMicrosoft Worddrafting the job advertisement and evaluation criteriaOpen its task library →
8 tasksMicrosoft Outlookscheduling interviews, coordinating committee availability, and sending official communications
4 tasksGoogle Docscollaborative drafting and versioned feedback from chair and TA
4 tasksMicrosoft Excelmaintaining attendance registers, analyzing absence patterns, and exporting reportsOpen its task library →
2 tasksBlackboard Learnentering grades, uploading feedback, and flagging integrity issues in the course gradebook
2 tasksMicrosoft PowerPointcreating the lecture slide set and handout visuals for class delivery
2 tasksIBM SPSS Statisticsperforms the statistical analyses and outputs tables and test results used in the manuscript
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

this page is height one
ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where an ai ethics researcher actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $80,340 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $49,050; the top tenth near $153,600
  • 41,530 people employed in this occupation

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job14 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register8 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild12 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures

Close to this work

12 nearby
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Questions people actually ask

You’ll split time between teaching, research, and service. Mornings often mean grading, answering email in Microsoft Outlook, and preparing slides in Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Docs for your next lecture.

Afternoons go to research: running analyses in IBM SPSS Statistics, drafting papers in Microsoft Word, meeting colleagues, and writing grant proposals. Evenings might have office hours, campus events, or reading the latest papers to keep current with the field.

Clear writing and grant-writing skills matter a lot: you’ll draft syllabi, Microsoft Word papers, and funding proposals. Teaching skills matter too: preparing PowerPoint lectures, using Blackboard Learn, and running classroom discussions.

Quantitative basics matter (using IBM SPSS Statistics and Excel for analysis), plus the ability to read a lot of literature and work with colleagues on interdisciplinary projects.