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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Telephone Operators?
Task-level automation exposure for Telephone Operators: 14 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
49%
weighted task index
14 of 14 tasks scored
Median Salary
$41,740 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
3,430 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-27.6%
employment change
200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 16 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$31,400 – $57,170
Highest medians
California $57,170
New York $50,220
District of Columbia $49,330
Massachusetts $47,940
Wisconsin $46,590
Lowest medians
Louisiana $31,400
Georgia $36,920
Ohio $36,970
Florida $37,180
Oklahoma $37,320
State figures come from the 43-2021 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 49%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 38%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 29%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 6%
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 6/100
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
14 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) 31%
4 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 29%
4 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 40%
6 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
#13246 · Core · 30% automatable
Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.
physical manipulation — Operating comms hardware needs hands-on setup and tuning
Operate communications equipment or systems.
#13247 · Core · 51% automatable
Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls.
interpersonal — Call routing automatable; nuanced calls need human
Operate communications equipment or systems. Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
#13243 · Core · 79% automatable
Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
information retrieval — Search files and references for info
Search files, databases or reference materials to obtain needed information. Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
#13257 · Core · 85% automatable
Update directory information.
data analysis — Data entry into systems automatable
Enter information into databases or software programs.
#13244 · Core · 72% automatable
Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
text generation — Drafting and completing forms with human review
Assist individuals with paperwork.
#13251 · Core · 50% automatable
Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.
text generation — Proofreading text for accuracy is core LLM strength
Sort mail. Proofread documents, records, or other files to ensure accuracy.
#13245 · Core · 8% automatable
Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.
physical manipulation — Physical assistance for disabled individuals
Assist disabled or incapacitated individuals.
#13256 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls.
physical manipulation — Operating comms hardware needs hands-on setup and tuning
Operate communications equipment or systems.
#13250 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance.
physical manipulation — Operating comms hardware needs hands-on setup and tuning
Operate communications equipment or systems.
#13253 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants.
physical manipulation — Operating comms hardware needs hands-on setup and tuning
Operate communications equipment or systems.
#13248 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests.
interpersonal — Account discussions need human relationship and judgment
Discuss account status or activity with customers or patrons.
#13254 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Provide relay service for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
physical manipulation — Physical assistance for disabled individuals
Assist disabled or incapacitated individuals.
#13258 · Supplemental · 85% automatable
Keep records of calls placed and received, and of related toll charges.
data analysis — Maintain call records in structured systems
Maintain call records.
#13255 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Promote company products, services, and savings plans when appropriate.
text generation — Promotional materials drafted; human executes outreach
Promote products, services, or programs.
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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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