AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 41-9041.00

Will AI replace Telemarketers?

Telemarketers: AI can already handle 2 of 12 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 12 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Telemarketers, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers. 96 Observed Efficient 4.7
Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals. 95 Observed Frontier 4.5
Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts. 40 Observed Frontier 4.3
Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe products or services, to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service or to make a donation. 35 Estimated Standard 4.4
Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes. 30 Estimated Standard 4.8
Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.7
Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Obtain names and telephone numbers of potential customers from sources such as telephone directories, magazine reply cards, and lists purchased from other organizations. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Schedule appointments for sales representatives to meet with prospective customers or for customers to attend sales presentations. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Conduct client or market surveys to obtain information about potential customers. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.3
Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.6

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 3 of 12 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 9 of 12. 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
58,430
Median annual wage
$35,450
Middle half of earners
$29,640 to $40,230
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-22.1%

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.

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

Questions about Telemarketers and AI

Will AI replace Telemarketers?

AI already handles 2 of the 12 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 42 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 -22.1% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Telemarketers?

42 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 12 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 9 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Telemarketers tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers; Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals. They are the 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 Telemarketers, and what do they earn?

58,430 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $35,450 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -22.1% 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: Telemarketers. 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/telemarketers

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