AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 33-9021.00
Will AI replace Private Detectives and Investigators?
Private Detectives and Investigators: AI can already handle 3 of 14 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 14 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Private Detectives and Investigators, from most to least exposed. 3 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write reports or case summaries to document investigations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Search computer databases, credit reports, public records, tax or legal filings, or other resources to locate persons or to compile information for investigations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Count cash and review transactions, sales checks, or register tapes to verify amounts or to identify shortages. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct private investigations on a paid basis. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Expose fraudulent insurance claims or stolen funds. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct personal background investigations, such as pre-employment checks, to obtain information about an individual's character, financial status, or personal history. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Obtain and analyze information on suspects, crimes, or disturbances to solve cases, to identify criminal activity, or to gather information for court cases. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Testify at hearings or court trials to present evidence. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Question persons to obtain evidence for cases of divorce, child custody, or missing persons or information about individuals' character or financial status. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Observe and document activities of individuals to detect unlawful acts or to obtain evidence for cases, using binoculars and still or video cameras. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Investigate companies' financial standings, or locate funds stolen by embezzlers, using accounting skills. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform undercover operations, such as evaluating the performance or honesty of employees by posing as customers or employees. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Alert appropriate personnel to suspects' locations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Confer with establishment officials, security departments, police, or postal officials to identify problems, provide information, or receive instructions. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 14 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 14 of 14. 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 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
- 35,580
- Median annual wage
- $51,220
- Middle half of earners
- $40,700 to $73,990
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +6.0%
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.
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators 81% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure33
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure60
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure37
- Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure69
- Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure49
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Private Detectives and Investigators and AI
Will AI replace Private Detectives and Investigators?
AI already handles 3 of the 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 41 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 +6.0% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Private Detectives and Investigators?
41 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. 0 of the 14 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 14 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Private Detectives and Investigators tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Write reports or case summaries to document investigations; Search computer databases, credit reports, public records, tax or legal filings, or other resources to locate persons or to compile information for investigations; Count cash and review transactions, sales checks, or register tapes to verify amounts or to identify shortages. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-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 Private Detectives and Investigators, and what do they earn?
35,580 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $51,220 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +6.0% 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: Private Detectives and Investigators. 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/private-detectives-and-investigators
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