Will AI Replace Coroners?

Complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Perform medicolegal examinations and autopsies, conducting preliminary examinations of the body to identify victims, locate signs of trauma, and identify factors that would indicate time of death.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Interview persons present at death scenes to obtain information useful in determining the manner of death.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Observe and record the positions and conditions of bodies and related evidence.

Routine cognitive or manual task with high vulnerability to automation.

Provide information concerning the circumstances of death to relatives of the deceased.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Remove or supervise removal of bodies from death scenes, using the proper equipment and supplies, and arrange for transportation to morgues.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Inquire into the cause, manner, and circumstances of human deaths and establish the identities of deceased persons.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Observe, record, and preserve any objects or personal property related to deaths, including objects such as medication containers and suicide notes.

Routine cognitive or manual task with high vulnerability to automation.

Complete reports and forms required to finalize cases.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Arrange for the next of kin to be notified of deaths.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Locate and document information regarding the next of kin, including their relationship to the deceased and the status of notification attempts.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Collect and document any pertinent medical history information.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Inventory personal effects recovered from bodies, such as jewelry or wallets.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Direct activities of workers conducting autopsies, performing pathological and toxicological analyses, and preparing documents for permanent records.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Coordinate the release of personal effects to authorized persons and facilitate the disposition of unclaimed corpses and personal effects.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Witness and certify deaths that are the result of a judicial order.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Testify at inquests, hearings, and court trials.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Confer with officials of public health and law enforcement agencies to coordinate interdepartmental activities.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Collect wills, burial instructions, and other documentation needed for investigations and for handling of the remains.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Record the disposition of minor children, as well as details of arrangements made for their care.

Routine cognitive or manual task with high vulnerability to automation.