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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary?
Task-level automation exposure for Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary: 20 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
52%
weighted task index
20 of 20 tasks scored
Median Salary
$42,910 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
164,090 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+2.7%
employment change
25,700 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 46 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$22,600 – $58,330
Highest medians
Maryland $58,330
Massachusetts $56,370
Texas $55,670
New Jersey $54,260
Minnesota $53,380
Lowest medians
Alabama $22,600
Arkansas $23,140
Nevada $24,960
New Hampshire $26,810
Montana $30,070
State figures come from the 25-9044 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 52%
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 58%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 10%
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 9/100
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
20 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) 39%
7 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 40%
9 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 21%
4 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 07/2016 · Incumbent
Correspond with students through email to address their questions and concerns.
Constituent Tasks
#10965 · Core · 45% automatable
Teach undergraduate-level courses.
interpersonal — Course content AI-assisted; live teaching and assessment human
Teach classes in area of specialization. Guide class discussions.
#10956 · Core · 70% automatable
Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades.
decision support — Grading aided; rubric judgment and accountability human
Evaluate student work.
#10955 · Core · 34% automatable
Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections.
interpersonal — Facilitating live discussion needs real-time human judgment
Guide class discussions. Supervise laboratory work.
#10967 · Core · 76% automatable
Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites.
text generation — Develop instructional materials; human reviews
Create technology-based learning materials. Develop instructional materials.
#10959 · Core · 60% automatable
Inform students of the procedures for completing and submitting class work, such as lab reports.
interpersonal — Career guidance drafted; mentor relationship human
Advise students on academic or career matters. Advise others on educational matters.
#10957 · Core · 30% automatable
Return assignments to students in accordance with established deadlines.
physical manipulation — Physically handing out materials to people
Distribute instructional or library materials.
#10960 · Core · 63% automatable
Prepare or proctor examinations.
text generation — Item writing from specs, human reviews validity
Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress. Prepare tests.
#20878 · Core · 55% automatable
Tutor or mentor students who need additional instruction.
interpersonal — AI can tutor content; diagnosing learner needs is human
Tutor students who need extra assistance.
#10962 · Core · 45% automatable
Meet with supervisors to discuss students' grades or to complete required grade-related paperwork.
interpersonal — Problem discussion with supervisors is relational
Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
#10958 · Core · 68% automatable
Schedule and maintain regular office hours to meet with students.
data analysis — AI builds instructional schedules; human adjusts
Schedule instructional activities.
#10971 · Core · 72% automatable
Order or obtain materials needed for classes.
decision support — Routine ordering automatable; human approves purchases
Order instructional or library materials or equipment.
#10963 · Core · 30% automatable
Copy and distribute classroom materials.
physical manipulation — Physically handing out materials to people
Distribute instructional or library materials.
#10961 · Core · 45% automatable
Notify instructors of errors or problems with assignments.
interpersonal — Problem discussion with supervisors is relational
Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
#10966 · Supplemental · 67% automatable
Complete laboratory projects prior to assigning them to students so that any needed modifications can be made.
text generation — Develop instructional materials; human reviews
Evaluate training programs, instructors, or materials. Modify teaching methods or materials to accommodate student needs. Develop instructional materials.
#10968 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Provide assistance to faculty members or staff with laboratory or field research.
interpersonal — Assisting colleagues needs contextual coordination
Assist other educational professionals with projects or research.
#10964 · Supplemental · 38% automatable
Demonstrate use of laboratory equipment and enforce laboratory rules.
interpersonal — Technology teaching needs live human demonstration
Supervise school or student activities. Teach others to use technology or equipment.
#20879 · Supplemental · 18% automatable
Attend lectures given by the supervising instructor.
interpersonal — Attending meetings requires physical human presence
Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
#20880 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Arrange for supervisors to conduct teaching observations and provide feedback about teaching performance.
decision support — Staff evaluation needs observation and accountability
Evaluate performance of educational staff.
#10972 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Provide instructors with assistance in the use of audiovisual equipment.
interpersonal — Assisting colleagues needs contextual coordination
Assist other educational professionals with projects or research.
#10973 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Assist faculty members or staff with student conferences.
interpersonal — Assisting colleagues needs contextual coordination
Assist other educational professionals with projects or research.
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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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