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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Museum Technicians and Conservators?
Task-level automation exposure for Museum Technicians and Conservators: 24 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
39%
weighted task index
24 of 24 tasks scored
Median Salary
$51,440 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
12,310 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+3.6%
employment change
1,600 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 45 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$32,350 – $76,900
Highest medians
Maryland $76,900
District of Columbia $76,110
New York $74,550
Connecticut $62,030
California $61,550
Lowest medians
Louisiana $32,350
Utah $35,430
Delaware $38,080
South Carolina $38,290
Alabama $38,350
State figures come from the 25-4013 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 39%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 35%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 32%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 19%
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 38/100
Moderate
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
24 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) 36%
8 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 5%
2 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 59%
14 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 →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 08/2026 · Occupational Expert
Give presentations on conservation and preservation topics to educate colleagues or the public.
- New 08/2026 · Occupational Expert
Seek guidance from representatives of relevant communities on appropriate handling and storage of items.
Constituent Tasks
#3808 · Core · 22% automatable
Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
visual inspection — Repair-need determination needs hands-on inspection
Inspect materials or equipment to determine need for repair or replacement.
#3813 · Core · 79% automatable
Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural materials.
information retrieval — AI monitors developments; human judges significance
Stay informed about current developments in field of specialization. Maintain current knowledge related to work activities.
#3814 · Core · 60% automatable
Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.
decision support — Curricular advice drafted; educator judgment human
Advise educators on curricula, instructional methods, or policies.
#3806 · Core · 5% automatable
Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
physical manipulation — Preparing materials for storage is physical
Construct exhibits or parts of exhibits. Prepare materials for preservation, storage, or display.
#3820 · Core · 30% automatable
Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method.
visual inspection — Archival object evaluation needs hands-on examination
Evaluate characteristics of archival or historical objects.
#3809 · Core · 6% automatable
Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
physical manipulation — Preparing materials for storage is physical
Prepare materials for preservation, storage, or display.
#3818 · Core · 6% automatable
Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
physical manipulation — Preparing materials for storage is physical
Prepare materials for preservation, storage, or display.
#3822 · Core · 65% automatable
Perform tests and examinations to establish storage and conservation requirements, policies, and procedures.
text generation — AI drafts archival policies; curator approves
Develop policies or procedures for archives, museums or libraries.
#3819 · Core · 80% automatable
Prepare reports on the operation of conservation laboratories, documenting the condition of artifacts, treatment options, and the methods of preservation and repair used.
data analysis — Maintain operational records in structured systems
Maintain operational records.
#18643 · Core · 30% automatable
Direct and supervise curatorial, technical, and student staff in the handling, mounting, care, and storage of art objects.
interpersonal — Directing subordinates carries accountability and motivation
Direct activities of subordinates.
#18644 · Core · 22% automatable
Photograph objects for documentation.
physical manipulation — Operating cameras at events is hands-on
Document events or evidence, using photographic or audiovisual equipment.
#21065 · Core · 84% automatable
Enter information about museum collections into computer databases.
data analysis — Data entry into systems automatable
Enter information into databases or software programs. Record research or operational data.
#3823 · Core · 78% automatable
Plan and conduct research to develop and improve methods of restoring and preserving specimens.
information retrieval — AI researches and synthesizes; human judges relevance
Research topics in area of expertise.
#3810 · Core · 6% automatable
Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
physical manipulation — Preparing materials for storage is physical
Prepare materials for preservation, storage, or display.
#3817 · Core · 28% automatable
Perform on-site field work which may involve interviewing people, inspecting and identifying artifacts, note-taking, viewing sites and collections, and repainting exhibition spaces.
visual inspection — Judging aesthetic quality needs human taste
Review art or design materials. Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys. Mark materials or objects for identification. Apply paint to surfaces.
#3824 · Core · 45% automatable
Notify superior when restoration of artifacts requires outside experts.
interpersonal — Problem discussion with supervisors is relational
Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
#3825 · Core · 78% automatable
Estimate cost of restoration work.
data analysis — Cost estimation from inputs; human validates
Estimate costs of products, services, or materials. Estimate costs of goods or services.
#3807 · Core · 4% automatable
Coordinate exhibit installations, assisting with design, constructing displays, dioramas, display cases, and models, and ensuring the availability of necessary materials.
physical manipulation — Constructing exhibits requires hands-on fabrication
Construct exhibits or parts of exhibits.
#18646 · Core · 8% automatable
Deliver artwork on courier trips.
situated mobility — Physical delivery of items in real environments
Deliver items. Operate vehicles or material-moving equipment.
#3811 · Core · 30% automatable
Supervise and work with volunteers.
interpersonal — Directing subordinates carries accountability and motivation
Direct activities of subordinates.
#3826 · Supplemental · 6% automatable
Preserve or direct preservation of objects, using plaster, resin, sealants, hardeners, and shellac.
physical manipulation — Preparing materials for storage is physical
Prepare materials for preservation, storage, or display.
#3815 · Supplemental · 62% automatable
Classify and assign registration numbers to artifacts and supervise inventory control.
text generation — Standard classification systems applied to text records
Direct department activities. Classify materials according to standard systems.
#3828 · Supplemental · 34% automatable
Construct skeletal mounts of fossils, replicas of archaeological artifacts, or duplicate specimens, using a variety of materials and hand tools.
text generation — Prepare reference materials from source content
Construct exhibits or parts of exhibits. Create physical models or prototypes. Prepare informational or reference materials.
#18645 · Supplemental · 52% automatable
Lead tours and teach educational courses to students and the general public.
interpersonal — Public programs need community engagement and judgment
Plan community programs or activities for the general public.
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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
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