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AI exposure Education and library

Will AI replace curators?

Curators. US occupation 25-4012.

41.2%

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

Ranked 31 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 95% of them.Further along than 95% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

One of the most exposed jobs in the country.Front of the queue for an AI assistant.

What AI already does for curatorsWhat curators no longer do alone

O*NET lists 15 tasks for curators. AI use at work shows up in 5 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. Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.Core task mostly automated 0.95
  2. Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.Core task mostly automated 0.92
  3. Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.Core task mostly automated 0.90
  4. Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.Core task automated and assisted 0.82
  5. Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.Core task automated and assisted 0.68

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

10 of the 15 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote use of institution's services, to seek financing, and to maintain community alliances.Core task
  • Confer with the board of directors to formulate and interpret policies, to determine budget requirements, and to plan overall operations.Core task
  • Design, organize, or conduct tours, workshops, and instructional or educational sessions to acquaint individuals with an institution's facilities and materials.Core task
  • Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.Core task
  • Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.Core task
  • Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.Core task
Show the other 4
  • Train and supervise curatorial, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical staff, as well as volunteers or interns.Core task
  • Arrange insurance coverage for objects on loan or for special exhibits and recommend changes in coverage for the entire collection.
  • Establish specifications for reproductions and oversee their manufacture or select items from commercially available replica sources.
  • Schedule events and organize details, including refreshment, entertainment, decorations, and the collection of any fees.

How that compares

Among the 57 education and library occupations, curators rank 2. The group averages 12.9%, and its most exposed job is Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary at 43.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 28Interpreters and Translators 43.0%
  2. 29Operations Research Analysts 42.9%
  3. 30Mathematicians 42.4%

Just below

  1. 32Tutors 40.8%
  2. 33Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping 40.5%
  3. 33Travel Agents 40.5%

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.