AI exposure Life, physical and social science
Will AI replace historians?
Historians. US occupation 19-3093.
The reading
2.8%
of the time historians spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of historians' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 304 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 59% of them.Further along than 59% of them.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Around the middle of the pack.Keeping pace with the average job.
What AI already does for historiansWhat historians no longer do alone
O*NET lists 21 tasks for historians. AI use at work shows up in 1 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.
- Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.Core task mostly automated 1.00
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
20 of the 21 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period.Core task
- Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.Core task
- Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.Core task
- Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.Core task
- Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.Core task
- Interview people to gather information about historical events and to record oral histories.Core task
Show the other 14
- Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.Core task
- Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.Core task
- Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.Core task
- Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.Core task
- Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.Core task
- Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.Core task
- Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.Core task
- Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies.Core task
- Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.Core task
- Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.
- Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
- Edit historical society publications.
- Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools.
- Translate or request translation of reference materials.
How that compares
Among the 46 life, physical and social science occupations, historians rank 34. The group averages 12.2%, and its most exposed job is Political Scientists at 45.2%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 299Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers 3.0%
- 304Construction Laborers 2.8%
- 304Driver/Sales Workers 2.8%
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.