Will AI replace archivists?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 51% of the working time in a typical archivist job today. The other 49% still needs a person.

Archivist at work

49% of the work still needs a person.

Needs a person: 49%A person checking AI: 20%AI alone: 31%

The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 39 to 51%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry.

13 responsibilities in a typical archivist job. Median pay $64,550 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Preserve and digitize records and objects
  • Direct staff cataloguing and arranging collections AI helps
  • Help researchers find archival materials AI helps
  • Find and negotiate acquisition of new materials
  • Set access and use policies for collections AI helps
  • Authenticate and appraise historical documents

AI can do or help with

  • Organize records and build classification systems AI helps
  • Build and maintain digital archive systems AI helps
  • Direct staff cataloguing and arranging collections AI helps
  • Write descriptions for archival records AI helps
  • Help researchers find archival materials AI helps
  • Set access and use policies for collections AI helps

The biggest responsibilities on each side, ranked by a person's time on the left. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces, so one can show on both sides. See all 13, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace archivists?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 51% of the working time in a typical archivist job today. The other 49% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.

Which parts of the job can AI do?

The biggest ones AI can do or help with: organize records and build classification systems, build and maintain digital archive systems, direct staff cataloguing and arranging collections, write descriptions for archival records, help researchers find archival materials, set access and use policies for collections.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: preserve and digitize records and objects, direct staff cataloguing and arranging collections, help researchers find archival materials, find and negotiate acquisition of new materials, set access and use policies for collections, authenticate and appraise historical documents.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 13 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0). Each is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. The evidence range for the share AI could take on is 39 to 51%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry. Scores version 0.8.5, updated November 10, 2026.

Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.

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