AI exposure Education and library
Will AI replace special education teachers?
Special Education Teachers, All Other. US occupation 25-2059.
The reading
2.6%
of the time special education teachers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of special education teachers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 308 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 special education teachersWhat special education teachers no longer do alone
O*NET lists 19 tasks for special education teachers. 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.
- Write reports to summarize student performance, social growth, or physical development.Core task automated and assisted 0.78
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
18 of the 19 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Adapt instructional techniques to the age and skill levels of students.Core task
- Assess students' physical progress or needs.Core task
- Assist in screening or placement of students in adapted physical education programs.Core task
- Attend in-service training, workshops, or meetings to keep abreast of current practices or trends in adapted physical education.Core task
- Collaborate with other educational personnel to provide inclusive activities or programs for children with disabilities.Core task
- Communicate behavioral observations and student progress reports to students, parents, teachers, or administrators.Core task
Show the other 12
- Establish and maintain standards of behavior to create safe, orderly, and effective environments for learning.Core task
- Evaluate the motor needs of individual students to determine their need for adapted physical education services.Core task
- Instruct students, using adapted physical education techniques, to improve physical fitness, gross motor skills, perceptual motor skills, or sports and game achievement.Core task
- Maintain inventory of instructional equipment, materials, or aids.Core task
- Maintain thorough student records to document attendance, participation, or progress, ensuring confidentiality of all records.Core task
- Prepare lesson plans in accordance with individualized education plans (IEPs) and the functional abilities or needs of students.Core task
- Provide adapted physical education services to students with intellectual disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, orthopedic impairments, or other disabling condition.Core task
- Provide individual or small groups of students with adapted physical education instruction that meets desired physical needs or goals.Core task
- Provide students positive feedback to encourage them and help them develop an appreciation for physical education.Core task
- Request or order physical education equipment, following standard procedures.Core task
- Review adapted physical education programs or practices to ensure compliance with government or other regulations.Core task
- Write or modify individualized education plans (IEPs) for students with intellectual or physical disabilities.Core task
How that compares
Among the 57 education and library occupations, special education teachers rank 34. 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%.
Just above in the ranking
- 304Historians 2.8%
- 304Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents 2.8%
- 308Power Plant Operators 2.6%
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.