AI exposure Sales
Will AI replace advertising sales agents?
Advertising Sales Agents. US occupation 41-3011.
The reading
14.8%
of the time advertising sales agents spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of advertising sales agents' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 148 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 80% of them.Further along than 80% of them.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.
What AI already does for advertising sales agentsWhat advertising sales agents no longer do alone
O*NET lists 20 tasks for advertising sales agents. AI use at work shows up in 3 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.
- Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.Core task mostly automated 0.98
- Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.Core task mostly automated 0.92
- Write sales outlines for use by staff.Core task mostly automated 0.88
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
17 of the 20 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Arrange for commercial taping sessions, and accompany clients to sessions.Core task
- Attend sales meetings, industry trade shows, and training seminars to gather information, promote products, expand network of contacts, and increase knowledge.Core task
- Consult with company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies to develop promotional plans.Core task
- Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to customers for approval.Core task
- Determine advertising medium to be used, and prepare sample advertisements within the selected medium for presentation to customers.Core task
- Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.Core task
Show the other 11
- Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.Core task
- Gather all relevant material for bid processes, and coordinate bidding and contract approval.Core task
- Identify new advertising markets, and propose products to serve them.Core task
- Inform customers of available options for advertisement artwork, and provide samples.Core task
- Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.Core task
- Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.Core task
- Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts, using computer.Core task
- Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts.Core task
- Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.Core task
- Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used.Core task
- Write copy as part of layout.Core task
How that compares
Among the 20 sales occupations, advertising sales agents rank 15. The group averages 23.6%, and its most exposed job is Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products at 62.8%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 145Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary 15.6%
- 145Computer and Information Systems Managers 15.6%
- 147Directors, Religious Activities and Education 15.3%
Just below
What this does and does not mean
Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.
A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.
Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.