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Anthropologists and Archeologists

collecting information and making judgments through observation, applying traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement and comparing findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences. If that's your week, this page is about your job.

The honest answer

AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: collecting information and making judgments through observation is work software can't reach.

Your move: what you can actually do about this ↓

What shifts is writing about and presenting research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences: the paper around the work, not the work.

Your week, as this page understands it

Study the origin, development, and behavior of human beings. May study the way of life, language, or physical characteristics of people in various parts of the world. May engage in systematic recovery and examination of material evidence, such as tools or pottery remaining from past human cultures, in order to determine the history, customs, and living habits of earlier civilizations. The job title says “anthropologists” or “archeologists”: officially one job, two names. The real job is the part underneath: collecting information and making judgments through observation. That is the thing someone has to be right about.

The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But anthropologists and archeologists is not one task. It is 30 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is collecting information and making judgments through observation, and the ledger below shows exactly why.

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI
0%
changing shape
20%
staying human
80%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

Whole-job exposure score 27 out of 100 (21–34 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, across 30 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.

How we know this

What is measured: Every published task statement for anthropologists and archeologists is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-05. Read the full method.

Your job, task by task

These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.

Shifting to AI

0 tasks

Tasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.

Nothing in this job’s scored task list landed in this group. That is the measurement, not an editorial choice, and it is worth knowing either way.

Changing shape

6 tasks

Tasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.

  • Writing about and presenting research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences

    The software now makes the first pass at and presenting research findings, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 53 out of 100 (49–57 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Writing up findings for different audiences is drafting work software does well, with the researcher checking the claims.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 4/4.

  • Writing grant proposals to obtain funding for research

    The software now makes the first pass at grant proposals, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 58 out of 100 (51–65 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Grant writing follows well-known formats, so software gives a solid draft that the researcher must sharpen.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Formulating general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions

    The software now makes the first pass at general rules, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Formulate general rules that describe and predict the development and behavior of cultures and social institutions.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 50 out of 100 (43–57 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Software can summarize patterns across published studies, but the decisive evidence often sits in unpublished field data.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Developing and testing theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures

    The software now makes the first pass at theories concerning the origin, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Develop and test theories concerning the origin and development of past cultures.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 43 out of 100 (36–50 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Software can propose and test ideas against published evidence, but confirming them needs the researcher's own material.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Comparing findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences

    The software now makes the first pass at findings, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 58 out of 100 (51–65 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Comparing site data is analysis software does well, though much of the data sits in unpublished reports.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Staying human

24 tasks

Tasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.

  • Collecting information and making judgments through observation

    This work happens in the physical world: information, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 5 · Core
    Source: “Collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 18 out of 100 (11–25 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Documents can be analyzed automatically, but observing people and interviewing them means being among them.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Planning and directing research to characterize and comparing the economic

    The ratings behind this row put research well outside what today's tools can do on their own.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Plan and direct research to characterize and compare the economic, demographic, health care, social, political, linguistic, and religious institutions of distinct cultural groups, communities, and organizations.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 37 out of 100 (30–44 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Research designs can be drafted from the literature, but choosing what is worth studying is the researcher's judgment.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Teaching or mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology

    The value here is that a specific person handles undergraduate and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Teach or mentor undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology or archeology.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 24 out of 100 (17–31 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Teaching content is easy to produce, but mentoring a research student depends on a long personal relationship.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Creating data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes

    This work happens in the physical world: data records, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Create data records for use in describing and analyzing social patterns and processes, using photography, videography, and audio recordings.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 12 out of 100 (5–19 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Photographing, filming and recording people and places requires being there with the equipment.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Training others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness

    The value here is that a specific person handles this work and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, technology development, policy making, and program planning.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 30 out of 100 (23–37 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Method guides are easy to write, but teaching researchers to do fieldwork happens alongside them.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

Show the other 20 tasks

  • Consulting site reports, existing artifacts and topographic maps to identify archeological sites

    changing shape

    The software now makes the first pass at site reports, existing artifacts and topographic maps, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (49–63 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Cross-reading reports and maps to spot likely sites is pattern work software does quickly.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Enhancing the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers

    staying human

    The value here is that a specific person handles the cultural sensitivity of elementary and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Enhance the cultural sensitivity of elementary and secondary curricula and classroom interactions in collaboration with educators and teachers.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 39 out of 100 (32–46 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Redrafting curriculum material is strong ground for software, though teachers adopt it through working relationships.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Studying archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns

    staying human

    The ratings behind this row put archival collections of primary historical sources well outside what today's tools can do on their own.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Study archival collections of primary historical sources to help explain the origins and development of cultural patterns.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 38 out of 100 (31–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Much of this archive material is not digitized, so someone has to read the originals.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Identifying culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities

    staying human

    The ratings behind this row put specific beliefs well outside what today's tools can do on their own.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Identify culturally specific beliefs and practices affecting health status and access to services for distinct populations and communities, in collaboration with medical and public health officials.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 37 out of 100 (30–44 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.

    The rating behind it: Published health and culture research can be synthesized automatically, though the local detail comes from communities themselves.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Describing artifacts' physical properties or attributes

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: artifacts' physical properties, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Describe artifacts' physical properties or attributes, such as the materials from which artifacts are made and their size, shape, function, and decoration.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 29 out of 100 (22–36 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Descriptions follow standard formats, but measuring an object's size, shape and decoration means holding it.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Advising government agencies, private organizations and communities regarding proposed programs, plans and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations and communities

    staying human

    The value here is that a specific person handles government agencies and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Advise government agencies, private organizations, and communities regarding proposed programs, plans, and policies and their potential impacts on cultural institutions, organizations, and communities.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 26 out of 100 (19–33 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Draft advice can be produced quickly, but agencies and communities weigh advice from someone they know.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Collaborating with economic development planners to decide on the implementation of proposed development policies

    staying human

    The value here is that a specific person handles economic development planners and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Collaborate with economic development planners to decide on the implementation of proposed development policies, plans, and programs based on culturally institutionalized barriers and facilitating circumstances.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 26 out of 100 (19–33 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Analysis can be automated, but development decisions are made in meetings between people with competing interests.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Studying objects and structures recovered by excavation

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: objects, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Study objects and structures recovered by excavation to identify, date, and authenticate them and to interpret their significance.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 25 out of 100 (18–32 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Dating and identifying objects needs them in hand as well as reference knowledge.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Assessing archeological sites for resource management

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: archeological sites, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Assess archeological sites for resource management, development, or conservation purposes and recommend methods for site protection.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 25 out of 100 (18–32 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Report writing is well suited to software, but assessing a site's significance means visiting it.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Organizing public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: public exhibits, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Organize public exhibits and displays to promote public awareness of diverse and distinctive cultural traditions.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 24 out of 100 (17–31 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Exhibit text and layout can be drafted, but assembling a display means handling objects and the space.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Developing intervention procedures, using techniques, individual and focus group interviews, consultations and participant observation of social interaction

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: intervention procedures, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Develop intervention procedures, using techniques such as individual and focus group interviews, consultations, and participant observation of social interaction.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 18 out of 100 (11–25 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Interview guides are easy to produce, but running focus groups and watching people interact happens in person.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Recording the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: the exact locations, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Record the exact locations and conditions of artifacts uncovered in diggings or surveys, using drawings and photographs as necessary.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 14 out of 100 (10–18 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Recording exactly where an artifact lay requires standing in the trench as it comes out.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Applying traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement

    staying human

    The value here is that a specific person handles traditional ecological knowledge and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Apply traditional ecological knowledge and assessments of culturally distinctive land and resource management institutions to assist in the resolution of conflicts over habitat protection and resource enhancement.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 13 out of 100 (1–25 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, low confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: This knowledge is held by particular communities and rarely written down, so it cannot be looked up.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

  • Participating in forensic activities, such as tooth and bone structure identification

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: forensic activities, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 3 · Supplemental
    Source: “Participate in forensic activities, such as tooth and bone structure identification, in conjunction with police departments and pathologists.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 10 out of 100 (3–17 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; someone qualified has to answer for it.

    The rating behind it: Identifying remains for police work needs the physical material and a specialist whose findings stand up in court.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 2/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Conducting participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: participatory action research, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Conduct participatory action research in communities and organizations to assess how work is done and to design work systems, technologies, and environments.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (2–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Research done jointly with a community depends on being accepted by that community over time.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Researching, surveying

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: sites of past societies, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Research, survey, or assess sites of past societies and cultures in search of answers to specific research questions.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (4–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Surveying and assessing an ancient site requires walking and examining the ground itself.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Gathering and analyzing artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: artifacts, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Gather and analyze artifacts and skeletal remains to increase knowledge of ancient cultures.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (4–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Collecting and examining artifacts and remains means handling the material itself.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Leading field training sites and training field staff

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: field training sites, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 4 out of 100 (0–8 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Running a dig training site means standing in the trench showing people how to excavate.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 3/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Collecting artifacts made of stone

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: artifacts made of stone, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Picking up artifacts, bagging and labeling them is done by hand at the dig.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Cleaning, restoring and preserving artifacts

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: artifacts, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 3 · Supplemental
    Source: “Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Cleaning and conserving fragile objects is delicate handwork.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

What this job pays, and how many people do it

Median pay
$70,770a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this

Source: bls-oews

Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

Rounding: Shown as published.

People doing this job
8,990in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.

Why this is shifting

The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: and presenting research findings in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: writing about and presenting research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where information gets done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.

Your move

Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend

Start with what does not change: collecting information and making judgments through observation is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.

So, given all that: 0% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 20% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 80% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 30 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.

So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. Writing about and presenting research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.

This week: one thing

Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to and presenting research findings, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.

What you end up holding
a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
How long it takes
ten minutes

If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether information is in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.

Over the next 90 days

Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near writing about and presenting research findings for a variety of specialized and general audiences. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.

Over the next 12 months

On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.

The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them

I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.

I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to anthropologists and archeologists (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was sociologists: only about 12% of its durable work is work you already do. And on the numbers you do not need one. This job scores 27/100 here, with only 0% of the task list in the top band, and “collect information and make judgments through observation, interviews, and review of documents” is not work that hands over cleanly. None of them beats deepening what you already have.

How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.

3 moves I checked and rejected

These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.

  • Sociologists

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already develop intervention procedures, using techniques, and their equivalent is to develop problem intervention procedures, using techniques. Across both published task lists that is about 12% of the durable work in that job.

    Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 12% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

  • Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already train others in the application of ethnographic research methods to solve problems in…, and their equivalent is to conduct ethnographic field research. Across both published task lists that is about 8% of the durable work in that job.

    Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 8% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

  • Social Science Research Assistants

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already write about and present research findings for a variety of specialized and general…, and their equivalent is to present research findings to groups of people. Across both published task lists that is about 4% of the durable work in that job.

    Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 4% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. I will not move you off one melting floe onto another: 72% of its own task list already scores in the top exposure band (63/100 in this release), so the same software is eating it. It is a pay cut, in those words: $61,990 against your $70,770, 12.4% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

What I’d stop worrying about

A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.

  • The headline number you read somewhere

    The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 0% of its task weight, across 30 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.

  • The headlines about your trade disappearing

    They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like collecting information and making judgments through observation arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.

  • Retraining out of a job that is holding up

    On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.

  • The “obvious” next job everyone suggests

    I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.

You are reading the United States figures

The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Social and humanities scientists is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.

Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match

In UK official statistics this job is counted as Social and humanities scientists. Pay and employment stay on this page’s own group; the task list and the scores do not cross over.

Your route through this

Where to go next, and what it costs

Free, and complete

The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.

Why there is no community here

Collab365, who build this site, run paid Spaces for a small number of subjects, and none of them is built for this job. We are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.

So the free services listed on this page are the whole answer, and it is the same answer we would give a friend.

Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for anthropologists / archeologists launches. Nothing else.

That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.

We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.

No Space for anthropologists / archeologists yet. Should there be one?

Collab365 Spaces is built by the same people as this site. We find the problems that AI and automation are creating inside one kind of work, then solve them as short courses, briefings and Blueprints. Each Space is the community too, so the research and the people doing your job are in the same place.

What a Space actually is, in full

Collab365 launches new communities where the need is real. If one for anthropologists / archeologists existed, with researched problems, courses and people in the same boat, would you want in?

We use your email address for one thing: to tell you if a Space for anthropologists / archeologists launches. We never sell it, never use it for unrelated marketing, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Our privacy policy has the full version.

This unlocks nothing. Every figure, every row and every step on this page is already yours, whether you fill this in or not.

No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.

Questions people ask about this job

Will AI replace Anthropologists and Archeologists?
Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 30 official task statements scored for Anthropologists and Archeologists (United States, SOC 19-3091), 0% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 27 out of 100 (range 21–34, band: low). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
Which tasks in “Anthropologists and Archeologists” can AI already do?
The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Compare findings from one site with archeological data from other sites to find similarities or differences” (58/100, partial); “Write grant proposals to obtain funding for research” (58/100, partial); “Consult site reports, existing artifacts, and topographic maps to identify archeological sites” (56/100, partial). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
Which tasks in “Anthropologists and Archeologists” stay human?
About 80% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Clean, restore, and preserve artifacts” (0/100, minimal); “Collect artifacts made of stone, bone, metal, and other materials, placing them in bags and marking them to show where they were found” (0/100, minimal); “Lead field training sites and train field staff, students, and volunteers in excavation methods” (4/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
What should someone working in “Anthropologists and Archeologists” do about AI?
Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 0% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 80% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
How is the AI exposure score for Anthropologists and Archeologists calculated?
Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 30 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

Where these numbers come from

About the data on this page

  • One row is marked low confidence, so treat it as a ballpark rather than a fine measurement.
  • The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
  • 2 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
  • Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Task statements
onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
Task weights
onet-db (im-rt)
Scores
Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
Pay and employment
bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))

Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.

The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.

The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.

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Using these figures?

Cite this

Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.

Plain text

Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).

BibTeX

@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
  title        = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
  author       = {{Collab365}},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
  note         = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}

Permalink

https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1

Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.