Will AI replace receptionists?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 52% of the working time in a typical receptionist job today. The other 48% still needs a person.

Receptionist at work

48% of the work still needs a person.

Needs a person: 48%A person checking AI: 13%AI alone: 39%

The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 42 to 52%. 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.

17 responsibilities in a typical receptionist job. Median pay $38,010 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Greet visitors and show them the way
  • Take payments and record receipts AI helps
  • Answer, screen and forward calls AI helps
  • Keep the lobby neat
  • Handle customer complaints AI helps
  • Sort mail and courier deliveries

AI can do or help with

  • Answer, screen and forward calls AI helps
  • Book and update appointments AI can do it
  • Take payments and record receipts AI helps
  • Keep files and records in order AI can do it
  • Handle general admin and paperwork AI can do it
  • Direct people to the right office or person AI can do it

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 17, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace receptionists?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 52% of the working time in a typical receptionist job today. The other 48% 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: answer, screen and forward calls, book and update appointments, take payments and record receipts, keep files and records in order, handle general admin and paperwork, direct people to the right office or person.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: greet visitors and show them the way, take payments and record receipts, answer, screen and forward calls, keep the lobby neat, handle customer complaints, sort mail and courier deliveries.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 18 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0), and the split covers the 17 people in it do today. 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 42 to 52%. 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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