AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 21-2011.00
Will AI replace Clergy?
Clergy: AI can already handle 17 of 21 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 21 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Clergy, from most to least exposed. 17 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counsel individuals or groups concerning their spiritual, emotional, or personal needs. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Read from sacred texts, such as the Bible, Torah, or Koran. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Organize and lead regular religious services. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Administer religious rites or ordinances. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare people for participation in religious ceremonies. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Visit people in homes, hospitals, or prisons to provide them with comfort and support. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Conduct special ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, or confirmations. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Devise ways in which congregational membership can be expanded. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Collaborate with committees or individuals to address financial or administrative issues pertaining to congregations. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Refer people to community support services, psychologists, or doctors. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Organize or engage in interfaith, community, civic, educational, or recreational activities sponsored by or related to religious programs. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Participate in fundraising activities to support congregational activities or facilities. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Pray and promote spirituality. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Plan or lead religious education programs. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Respond to requests for assistance during emergencies or crises. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Train leaders of church, community, or youth groups. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform administrative duties, such as overseeing building management, ordering supplies, contracting for services or repairs, or supervising the work of staff members or volunteers. | Estimated | Standard |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 5 of 21 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 16 of 21. 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 frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% 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
- 57,200
- Median annual wage
- $60,810
- Middle half of earners
- $48,260 to $76,640
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +1.0%
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.
- Directors, Religious Activities and Education 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure66
- Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary 59% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure66
- Office Clerks, General 52% skill overlap, about 17 months to move Exposure53
- Musicians and Singers 51% skill overlap, about 18 months to move Exposure67
- Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers 50% skill overlap, about 18 months to move Exposure33
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Clergy and AI
Will AI replace Clergy?
AI already handles 17 of the 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 68 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 +1.0% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Clergy?
68 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. 5 of the 21 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 16 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Clergy tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Counsel individuals or groups concerning their spiritual, emotional, or personal needs; Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions; Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks. They are three of the 17 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% 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 Clergy, and what do they earn?
57,200 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $60,810 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +1.0% 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: Clergy. 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/clergy
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