# Will clergy be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Clergy score 40 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 55%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 5% outright, and 40% stays with people. - **5%** AI can do it - **55%** AI helps - **40%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Higher than 53% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 21 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 12 and leaves 8 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching. Articles and written teaching materials are largely AI-draftable with review. | 62% AI can do it | | Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks. AI drafts sermon outlines and research; the clergy member delivers. | 55% AI helps | | Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions. AI speeds research and synthesis of texts; interpretive authority stays human. | 55% AI helps | | Plan or lead religious education programs. AI drafts education plans and lesson content; leading remains human. | 45% AI helps | | Perform administrative duties, such as overseeing building management, ordering supplies, contracting for services or repairs, or supervising the work of staff members or volunteers. AI handles scheduling, ordering, and emails; staff and building oversight is human. | 45% AI helps | ## How clergy compare All occupations (923) Community and social service (14) **Clergy score 40**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 43 for community and social service. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $60,810 a year, May 2025 People employed 57,200 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +2.4% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Write and deliver sermons from original research in Microsoft Word - Plan religious education calendars in Microsoft Excel - Coordinate congregation volunteers and staff through Microsoft Outlook and GroupMe - Sit with grieving families for funerals and hospital visits - Lead budget committee reviews of congregation finances in Microsoft Excel - Officiate weddings, baptisms, and confirmations in person ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Marriage and family therapists38 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/marriage-and-family-therapists/) - [Residential advisors37 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/residential-advisors/) - [Funeral directors27 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/funeral-directors/) - [Rehabilitation counselors39 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/rehabilitation-counselors/) - [Mental health counselors35 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/mental-health-counselors/) ## Questions about clergy and AI Will AI replace clergy? Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours of a clergy member's week go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing articles and teaching materials and studying texts for sermons. Pastoral visits, sacraments, prayer, and crisis response stay with people because they need a physical presence in the room. Which clergy tasks is AI taking over? Writing and sharing religious articles, teaching materials, and sermon research carry the highest exposure, at 62 and 55 out of 100. AI drafts outlines, summarizes texts, and produces first versions of written work, which the clergy member then reviews and shapes. Which clergy tasks stay human? Hospital, home, and prison visits, sacraments, and crisis response carry the lowest exposure, at 2, 3, and 10 out of 100. These tasks depend on physical presence, trust built over time, and an ordained person performing the rite in front of the community. How can clergy stay valuable as AI spreads? Keep the parts of the job that need you in person, such as pastoral visits and ceremonies, and use AI for drafting. Write the final sermon yourself from your study, check every scripture citation against the source text, and use Excel and Outlook to handle scheduling and budgets while the committee makes the decisions. ## Related jobs - [Social workers41 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/child-and-family-social-workers/) - [Career counselors49 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/career-counselors/) - [Social services assistants44 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/social-services-assistants/) - [Social services managers47 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/social-services-managers/) ## Next steps for clergy - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.