AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Clergy?

Task-level automation exposure for Clergy: 21 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

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Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

41% weighted task index

21 of 21 tasks scored

Median Salary

$60,810 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

57,200 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+2.4% employment change

19,200 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$28,880 – $80,830

Highest medians

Washington $80,830

California $77,710

Nevada $73,910

Massachusetts $72,190

New Jersey $65,500

Lowest medians

Puerto Rico $28,880

Guam $37,460

West Virginia $48,460

Arkansas $49,070

Alabama $50,180

State figures come from the 21-2011 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.

What the score is made of

Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.

Automation potential 41%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 0%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 90%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 5%

Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.

Rewritten by O*NET 0%

Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.

Consequence of error 15/100 Low

O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.

Constituent Task Mix

21 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.

High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 6%

1 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 79%

17 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 15%

3 tasks

How would you survive?

Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.

Simulate Upskilling →

Constituent Tasks

#10934 · Core · 25% automatable

Pray and promote spirituality.

interpersonal — Comfort and encouragement need live emotional presence

Provide counsel, comfort, or encouragement to individuals or families.

#10936 · Core · 35% automatable

Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks.

interpersonal — Leading live classes/events requires human presence

Lead classes or community events.

#10935 · Core · 64% automatable

Read from sacred texts, such as the Bible, Torah, or Koran.

information retrieval — AI can search and summarize literature, human curates

Review professional literature to maintain professional knowledge. Present information to the public.

#10937 · Core · 35% automatable

Organize and lead regular religious services.

interpersonal — Leading live classes/events requires human presence

Lead classes or community events.

#10939 · Core · 42% automatable

Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith.

interpersonal — Personal counseling needs live emotional presence and accountability

Counsel clients or patients regarding personal issues.

#10938 · Core · 53% automatable

Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching.

text generation — AI drafts; original expertise and authorship are human

Write articles, books or other original materials in area of expertise. Promote products, activities, or organizations. Teach classes in area of specialization.

#10940 · Core · 42% automatable

Counsel individuals or groups concerning their spiritual, emotional, or personal needs.

interpersonal — Personal counseling needs live emotional presence and accountability

Counsel clients or patients regarding personal issues.

#10943 · Core · 45% automatable

Administer religious rites or ordinances.

information retrieval — General info answers assisted; live service human

Provide customers with general information or assistance. Lead classes or community events.

#10950 · Core · 50% automatable

Prepare people for participation in religious ceremonies.

interpersonal — Course content AI-assisted; live teaching and assessment human

Teach classes in area of specialization.

#10941 · Core · 10% automatable

Visit people in homes, hospitals, or prisons to provide them with comfort and support.

situated mobility — Physical home visits require human presence

Visit individuals in their homes to provide support or information.

#10942 · Core · 35% automatable

Train leaders of church, community, or youth groups.

interpersonal — Social-service skills training demands human modeling

Train staff members in social services skills.

#20748 · Core · 43% automatable

Plan or lead religious education programs.

decision support — Drafts program outlines; institutional design and approval human

Develop educational programs. Lead classes or community events.

#10944 · Core · 45% automatable

Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions.

interpersonal — Cultural/religious interpretation needs lived context

Interpret cultural or religious information for others.

#10947 · Core · 15% automatable

Respond to requests for assistance during emergencies or crises.

interpersonal — Crisis intervention requires live presence and action

Intervene in crisis situations to assist clients.

#10945 · Core · 35% automatable

Conduct special ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, or confirmations.

interpersonal — Leading live classes/events requires human presence

Lead classes or community events.

#10948 · Core · 55% automatable

Devise ways in which congregational membership can be expanded.

text generation — Promotional drafts aided; community context human

Develop promotional strategies for religious organizations.

#10949 · Core · 42% automatable

Collaborate with committees or individuals to address financial or administrative issues pertaining to congregations.

decision support — Program finance oversight is broad and accountability-bearing

Manage organizational or program finances.

#10952 · Core · 55% automatable

Refer people to community support services, psychologists, or doctors.

decision support — AI can match programs; human handles eligibility nuance

Refer clients to community or social service programs.

#20749 · Core · 58% automatable

Organize or engage in interfaith, community, civic, educational, or recreational activities sponsored by or related to religious programs.

decision support — Complex multi-stakeholder planning needs human execution

Plan conferences, programs, or special events.

#10951 · Core · 42% automatable

Perform administrative duties, such as overseeing building management, ordering supplies, contracting for services or repairs, or supervising the work of staff members or volunteers.

decision support — Program finance oversight is broad and accountability-bearing

Manage organizational or program finances.

#10953 · Core · 43% automatable

Participate in fundraising activities to support congregational activities or facilities.

text generation — Promotional content drafted; human runs channels and relationships

Promote products, activities, or organizations. Direct fundraising or financing activities.

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Community Sentiment

Do you agree?

Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?

Method

How this was scored

1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.

Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.

Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast

See the full method →

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