Will AI replace historians?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 48m (98%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 21 tasks, about 12m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers. (12m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

7h 48m of a typical shift, or 98%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals. (1h 6m a shift)
• Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance. (54m a shift)
• Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories. (48m a shift)
• Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials. (36m a shift)
• Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives. (36m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 78% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 54% talk face to face with others every day

On Indeed, job postings in the Social Science sector are at 126% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 6.7% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 300 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $76,750 a year ($36.90 an hour), 51% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $42,730 and $131,810 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 3,900 jobs in 2035. It expects about 300 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 3,450 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 747th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 3,900 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a master's degree: about 64% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Writing, Critical Thinking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 48m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, ESRI ArcGIS software
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Coordinate artifact donations on behalf of a museum.
• Create and revise scripts for the tour guides.
• Write policies and procedures for archival collection care and research protocols.

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Postsecondary History Teachers (3h 8m touched, $84k median pay)
• Anthropologists and Archeologists (2h 16m touched, $71k median pay)
• Curators (4h 29m touched, $63k median pay)
• Geographers (1h 25m touched, $102k median pay)
• Archivists (1h 2m touched, $65k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 20 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.