Historians

Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

The occupation "Historians" has a moderate automation risk of 48.1%, closely reflecting the base risk of 48.8%. This means that just under half of the typical tasks performed by historians have the potential to be automated with current or near-future technology. The nature of the work often involves both routine and highly specialized activities. The tasks most susceptible to automation tend to be those that follow set procedures and can be standardized, such as the handling and preservation of documents or data collection. These aspects of historical work are more easily captured by algorithms or robotic systems. The top three most automatable tasks for historians are: conserving and preserving manuscripts, records, and other artifacts; gathering historical data from various sources such as archives, court records, or news files; and conducting historical research as a basis for activities like conservation and reconstruction of historic materials. These responsibilities often involve repetitive manual labor or systematic information retrieval, which can partially be managed by machine learning and archival technologies. Automated scanning, cataloging, and preservation robots, for example, are already streamlining much of the physical and digital data management. These efficiencies reduce the need for human intervention in routine or large-scale data-handling, leading to a substantial but not overwhelming risk of automation. On the other hand, some tasks remain highly resistant to automation due to the complex reasoning, judgment, and interpersonal skills they require. The most resistant tasks for historians include teaching and conducting research in academic or museum settings, translating or coordinating the translation of reference materials, and overseeing the activities of workers involved in cataloging and filing. Such work relies heavily on originality and critical thinking, bottleneck skills that are difficult for AI to replicate. With originality rated at 3.0% and 3.1%, it is clear that the interpretive, analytical, and creative aspects of the profession represent significant hurdles for automation. As a result, while routine and repetitive functions within the historian’s role may become automated, the core functions requiring human insight and creativity will continue to require skilled professionals.