AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-3093.00
Will AI replace Historians?
Historians: AI can already handle 17 of 21 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 21 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Historians, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Translate or request translation of reference materials. | Observed | Standard | |
| Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Interview people to gather information about historical events and to record oral histories. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Edit historical society publications. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 3 of 21 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 18 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
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 78% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 95% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 5% is hands-on.
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
- 3,450
- Median annual wage
- $76,750
- Middle half of earners
- $57,290 to $99,990
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +2.2%
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.
- Archivists 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure63
- History Teachers, Postsecondary 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure63
- Anthropologists and Archeologists 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure63
- Economists 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure59
- Sociologists 59% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure64
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Historians and AI
Will AI replace Historians?
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 65 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 +2.2% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Historians?
65 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. 3 of the 21 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 18 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Historians tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Translate or request translation of reference materials; Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals; Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet. They are three of the 17 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 78% 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 Historians, and what do they earn?
3,450 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $76,750 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.2% 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: Historians. 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/historians
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