Historians research, analyze and write about the past from documents and other sources. Generative AI can now transcribe old handwriting, search large digitized collections and draft summaries, which touches a real part of the job. Deciding what a source means, whether it can be trusted and how it fits the wider record is still the historian's work.
The short answer: AI changes how historians research more than whether they are needed. The ILO's 2025 index rates philosophers, historians and political scientists at gradient 2 with a score of 0.47. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 3 percent growth for historians from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as average, with about 300 openings a year. It is a small occupation of about 3,800 jobs. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed historians are
The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO category | Mean task score (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophers, Historians and Political Scientists | Gradient 2 | 0.47 |
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Historians | Grow 3% | About 300 |
The BLS projects employment to grow from 3,800 jobs in 2025 to 3,900 in 2035. Its outlook does not mention AI.
Where AI is helping
- Transcribing handwritten and printed documents.
- Searching and sorting large digitized archives.
- Translating sources as a first pass.
- Drafting summaries, finding aids and exhibit text.
What stays with historians
- Source criticism: judging who made a document, why, and whether it can be trusted.
- Interpretation: building an argument that holds up against the whole record.
- Original research: finding sources that are not digitized at all.
- Checking AI help: transcriptions, translations and summaries can be wrong, and models can invent quotes and citations, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.
How the job is changing
Digital research skills matter more as archives go online, and so does the ability to catch a confident error in a machine transcription or summary. This page is general information, not career advice.
See also will AI replace archivists?, will AI replace librarians? and will AI replace writers?
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for historians at $76,750 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: master's degree. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace historians?
Not on current data. The ILO puts historians in gradient 2, and the BLS projects 3 percent growth from 2025 to 2035.
How many historians are there?
The BLS counts about 3,800 historian jobs in 2025, projected to reach 3,900 in 2035.
How many openings are expected?
About 300 a year on average over the decade, according to the BLS.
Can historians trust AI transcriptions?
Only after checking them against the original. Models can misread text and invent quotes or citations.