Will AI replace tellers?

Parts of the job are being automated. About 4h 14m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots already do largely on their own. The rest still needs a person. The breakdown: 7m done by people with AI help, 4h 14m that robots have done in real workplaces. The other 3h 38m (46%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 13.2% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 28 tasks, about 7m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Perform clerical tasks, such as typing, filing, and microfilm photography. (7m a shift, people use AI to help)

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 9 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 4h 14m of a typical shift. 4 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here.

• Receive checks and cash for deposit, verify amounts, and check accuracy of deposit slips. (1h 13m a shift; e.g. Envelope-free deposit-automation ATMs (Peoples Exchange Bank ATM fleet), in use)
• Cash checks and pay out money after verifying that signatures are correct, that written and numerical amounts agree, and that accounts have sufficient funds. (1h 5m a shift; e.g. AmeriCU Credit Union Interactive Teller Machines (ITMs), in use)
• Balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines. (36m a shift; e.g. Teller cash recyclers at Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union, Berkeley CA, in use)
• Count currency, coins, and checks received, by hand or using currency-counting machine, to prepare them for deposit or shipment to branch banks or the Federal Reserve Bank. (29m a shift; e.g. Teller Cash Recycler (branch deployments), in use)

3h 38m of a typical shift, or 46%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. The biggest:

• Enter customers' transactions into computers to record transactions and issue computer-generated receipts. (36m a shift)
• Resolve problems or discrepancies concerning customers' accounts. (29m a shift)
• Answer telephones and assist customers with their questions. (29m a shift)
• Examine checks for endorsements and to verify other information, such as dates, bank names, identification of the persons receiving payments, and the legality of the documents. (22m a shift)
• Explain, promote, or sell products or services, such as travelers' checks, savings bonds, money orders, and cashier's checks, using computerized information about customers to tailor recommendations. (22m a shift)

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Feb 4, 2026: Wells Fargo branch goes from three tellers to one as AI app expands (Rolling out)

The median pay is about $43,030 a year ($20.69 an hour), 16% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Source: BLS, May 2025.

BLS projects a decline of 13.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 295,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 27,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 329,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.21% of all workers (BLS, May 2025).

High school diploma, some training. O*NET rates this job at level 2 of 5 for preparation.

Based on official skill ratings and the tasks that stay with people:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Mathematics, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 3h 38m 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, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots:

• New Accounts Clerks (2h 19m touched, $48k median pay)
• Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks (1h 22m touched, $50k median pay)
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (1h 58m touched, $51k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 10 with robots in real deployments, 17 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.