Will AI replace telephone operators?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 53m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The other 7h 7m (89%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 27.6% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 14 tasks, about 53m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail. (53m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 1 more task has only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so it stays with people here.

7h 7m of a typical shift, or 89%, 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:

• 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. (2h 12m a shift)
• Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information. (1h 32m a shift)
• Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections. (1h 6m a shift)
• Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls. (33m a shift)
• Update directory information. (20m 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:

• 100% are in constant contact with other people
• 96% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 82% talk face to face with others every day

The median pay is about $41,740 a year ($20.07 an hour), 18% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $31,510 and $62,950 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 a decline of 27.6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 2,500 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 200 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 3,430 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 749th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 2,500 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 98% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. 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: Service Orientation, Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 7m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Windows
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

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:

• Receptionists and Information Clerks (3h 40m touched, $38k median pay)
• Switchboard Operators (4h 7m touched, $39k median pay)
• General Office Clerks (4h 30m touched, $45k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 13 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.