AI can now write a survey, summarize thousands of open-ended answers and turn the results into charts in minutes. Some tools even simulate survey answers. Market research analysts are the people who decide what to ask, who to ask and whether the answers can be trusted.
The short answer: AI is changing this job a lot, but demand is still growing. The ILO's 2025 index puts advertising and marketing professionals, the closest group, in gradient 3, with a score of 0.55. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 7 percent growth for market research analysts from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 82,000 openings a year. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed market research analysts 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising and Marketing Professionals | Gradient 3 | 0.55 |
The ILO scores groups of occupations, so this is the closest group rather than a score for market research analysts alone.
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Market research analysts | Grow 7% | About 82,000 |
The BLS links growth to wider use of data and market research across industries, including the collection and analysis of big data from social media and online reviews.
What AI is taking on
- Drafting surveys and discussion guides.
- Coding and summarizing open-ended answers.
- Pulling trends from reviews and social media.
- Building charts and first-draft reports.
What stays with the analyst
- Design: choosing the question, the sample and the method, as the BLS describes.
- Judgment: spotting bias, bad samples and results that do not add up.
- Advice: turning findings into decisions a business can act on.
- Checking AI help: AI summaries and simulated answers can be confidently wrong, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.
How the job is changing
Analysts spend less time on survey coding and slide building and more on design, quality and advice. Knowing when AI-generated data is not a substitute for real customers is becoming part of the job.
See also will AI replace marketing?, will AI replace data analysts? and will AI replace economists?
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for market research analysts at $78,760 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: bachelor's degree. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace market research analysts?
Not on current evidence. The closest ILO group is in gradient 3, but the BLS projects 7 percent growth from 2025 to 2035.
Can AI run a survey?
It can draft questions and summarize answers, but choosing the method and sample and judging the results still need an analyst.
How many market research openings are expected?
The BLS projects about 82,000 openings a year, on average, over the decade.
What market research work stays human?
Research design, quality judgment, advice and checking AI summaries.