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AI exposure Office and administrative support

Will AI replace telephone operators?

Telephone Operators. US occupation 43-2021.

0.0%

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

Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for telephone operatorsWhat telephone operators no longer do alone

O*NET lists 13 tasks for telephone operators. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them, though too little of the job's time goes on them to register in the exposure figure. 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. Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.Core task automated and assisted 0.76

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

12 of the 13 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.Core task
  • Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.Core task
  • Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.Core task
  • Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls.Core task
  • Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.Core task
  • Update directory information.Core task
Show the other 6
  • Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants.
  • Keep records of calls placed and received, and of related toll charges.
  • Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance.
  • Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls.
  • Promote company products, services, and savings plans when appropriate.
  • Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests.

How that compares

Among the 50 office and administrative support occupations, telephone operators rank 49. 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%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Tapers 0.0%
  2. 346Taxi Drivers 0.0%
  3. 346Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers 0.0%

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.