AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 25-9044.00
Will AI replace Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary?
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary: AI can already handle 15 of 20 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 20 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary, from most to least exposed. 15 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Tutor or mentor students who need additional instruction. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Inform students of the procedures for completing and submitting class work, such as lab reports. | Observed | Standard | |
| Return assignments to students in accordance with established deadlines. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Complete laboratory projects prior to assigning them to students so that any needed modifications can be made. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Demonstrate use of laboratory equipment and enforce laboratory rules. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Provide assistance to faculty members or staff with laboratory or field research. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Meet with supervisors to discuss students' grades or to complete required grade-related paperwork. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Order or obtain materials needed for classes. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Attend lectures given by the supervising instructor. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Copy and distribute classroom materials. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Provide instructors with assistance in the use of audiovisual equipment. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Notify instructors of errors or problems with assignments. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Assist faculty members or staff with student conferences. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Teach undergraduate-level courses. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Prepare or proctor examinations. | Observed | Standard | |
| Arrange for supervisors to conduct teaching observations and provide feedback about teaching performance. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Schedule and maintain regular office hours to meet with students. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 7 of 20 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 13 of 20. 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 81% 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
- 164,090
- Median annual wage
- $42,910
- Middle half of earners
- $35,270 to $60,510
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +3.1%
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.
- Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education 74% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure37
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary 68% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure65
- Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary 65% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure63
- Geography Teachers, Postsecondary 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure64
- Teaching Assistants, Special Education 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure37
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary and AI
Will AI replace Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary?
AI already handles 15 of the 20 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 +3.1% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary?
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. 7 of the 20 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 13 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites; Tutor or mentor students who need additional instruction; Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections. They are three of the 15 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 81% 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 Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary, and what do they earn?
164,090 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $42,910 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.1% 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: Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary. 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/teaching-assistants-postsecondary
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