AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-3091.00

Will AI replace Anthropologists and Archeologists?

Anthropologists and Archeologists: AI can already handle 21 of 30 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 30 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Anthropologists and Archeologists, from most to least exposed. 21 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents. 79 Observed Standard 4.6
Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Describe artifacts' physical properties or attributes, such as the materials from which artifacts are made and their size, shape, function, and decoration. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found. 75 Estimated Standard 3.6
Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions. 75 Estimated Standard 3.4
Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.4
Participate in forensic activities, such as tooth and bone structure identification, in conjunction with police departments and pathologists. 75 Estimated Standard 3.3
Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection. 65 Estimated Standard 4.0
Apply traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement. 65 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Study objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites. 60 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Advise government agencies, private organizations, and communities regarding proposed programs, plans, and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations, and communities. 60 Estimated Frontier 3.4
Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction. 60 Estimated Frontier 3.4
Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning. 50 Estimated Standard 4.0
Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Collaborate with economic development planners to decide on the implementation of proposed development policies, plans, and programs based on culturally institutionalized barriers and facilitating circumstances. 50 Estimated Standard 3.4
Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.2
Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions. 40 Observed Efficient 3.1
Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods. 35 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers. 35 Estimated Standard 3.3

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 30 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 28 of 30. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A standard-tier model or lower covers 83% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
8,990
Median annual wage
$70,770
Middle half of earners
$59,400 to $89,670
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+3.7%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Anthropologists and Archeologists and AI

Will AI replace Anthropologists and Archeologists?

AI already handles 21 of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 63 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +3.7% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Anthropologists and Archeologists?

63 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 2 of the 30 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 28 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Anthropologists and Archeologists tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents; Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences; Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary. They are three of the 21 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 83% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Anthropologists and Archeologists, and what do they earn?

8,990 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $70,770 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.7% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Anthropologists and Archeologists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/anthropologists-and-archeologists

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