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AI exposure Sales

Will AI replace counter and rental clerks?

Counter and Rental Clerks. US occupation 41-2021.

20.5%

of the time counter and rental clerks spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of counter and rental clerks' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 115 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 84% of them.Further along than 84% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.

What AI already does for counter and rental clerksWhat counter and rental clerks no longer do alone

O*NET lists 16 tasks for counter and rental clerks. AI use at work shows up in 4 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.

  1. Advise customers on use and care of merchandise.Core task mostly automated 1.00
  2. Provide information about rental items, such as availability, operation, or description.Core task mostly automated 0.97
  3. Recommend and provide advice on a wide variety of products and services.Core task mostly automated 0.94
  4. Explain rental fees, policies, and procedures.Core task automated and assisted 0.83

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

12 of the 16 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Answer telephones to provide information and receive orders.Core task
  • Compute charges for merchandise or services and receive payments.Core task
  • Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental.Core task
  • Inspect and adjust rental items to meet needs of customer.Core task
  • Keep records of transactions and of the number of customers entering an establishment.Core task
  • Prepare merchandise for display or for purchase or rental.Core task
Show the other 6
  • Prepare rental forms, obtaining customer signature and other information, such as required licenses.Core task
  • Receive orders for services, such as rentals, repairs, dry cleaning, and storage.Core task
  • Receive, examine, and tag articles to be altered, cleaned, stored, or repaired.Core task
  • Rent items, arrange for provision of services to customers, and accept returns.Core task
  • Reserve items for requested times and keep records of items rented.Core task
  • Allocate equipment to participants in sporting events or recreational activities.

How that compares

Among the 20 sales occupations, counter and rental clerks rank 13. 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%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 111Statisticians 21.1%
  2. 113Art Directors 21.0%
  3. 113News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists 21.0%

Just below

  1. 116Food Science Technicians 20.4%
  2. 117Librarians and Media Collections Specialists 20.3%
  3. 118Loan Interviewers and Clerks 20.2%

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.