AI exposure Office and administrative support
Will AI replace office machine operators?
Office Machine Operators, Except Computer. US occupation 43-9071.
The reading
2.4%
of the time office machine operators spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of office machine operators' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 310 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 58% of them.Further along than 58% 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 office machine operatorsWhat office machine operators no longer do alone
O*NET lists 18 tasks for office machine operators. 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.
- Compute prices for services and receive payment, or provide supervisors with billing information.Core task mostly automated 0.96
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
17 of the 18 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Clean and file master copies or plates.Core task
- Clean machines, perform minor repairs, and report major repair needs.Core task
- Complete records of production, including work volumes and outputs, materials used, and any backlogs.Core task
- Deliver completed work.Core task
- File and store completed documents.Core task
- Load machines with materials such as blank paper or film.Core task
Show the other 11
- Maintain stock of supplies, and requisition any needed items.Core task
- Monitor machine operation, and make adjustments as necessary to ensure proper operation.Core task
- Operate auxiliary machines such as collators, pad and tablet making machines, staplers, and paper punching, folding, cutting, and perforating machines.Core task
- Operate office machines such as high speed business photocopiers, readers, scanners, addressing machines, stencil-cutting machines, microfilm readers or printers, folding and inserting machines, bursters, and binder machines.Core task
- Place original copies in feed trays, feed originals into feed rolls, or position originals on tables beneath camera lenses.Core task
- Prepare and process papers for use in scanning, microfilming, and microfiche.Core task
- Read job orders to determine the type of work to be done, the quantities to be produced, and the materials needed.Core task
- Set up and adjust machines, regulating factors such as speed, ink flow, focus, and number of copies.Core task
- Sort, assemble, and proof completed work.Core task
- Cut copies apart and write identifying information, such as page numbers or titles, on copies.
- Move heat units and clamping frames over screen beds to form Braille impressions on pages, raising frames to release individual copies.
How that compares
Among the 50 office and administrative support occupations, office machine operators rank 38. The group averages 19.1%, and its most exposed job is Customer Service Representatives at 70.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 308Special Education Teachers, All Other 2.6%
- 310Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary 2.4%
- 310Industrial Machinery Mechanics 2.4%
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.