Will philosophy professors be replaced by AI?
Updated
Philosophy professors score 51 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 47%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 14% outright, and 39% stays with people.
- 14% AI can do it
- 47% AI helps
- 39% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 77% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 22 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 10 and leaves 9 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. Routine record keeping and grade entry are easily automated. | 80% AI can do it |
| Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. Syllabi, handouts and assignments are strong drafting tasks for AI. | 70% AI can do it |
| Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments. AI can compile reference lists quickly, though citations need checking. | 70% AI can do it |
| Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers. AI drafts feedback and rubric checks; instructor judges final grades. | 55% AI helps |
| Write grant proposals to procure external research funding. AI drafts proposal sections; the research vision stays human. | 50% AI helps |
| Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students and the community on topics such as ethics, logic, and contemporary religious thought. AI helps build lecture content; live delivery stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others. AI drafts questions and grades objective items; proctoring stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Write articles and books. AI aids drafting and editing; original argument stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media. AI speeds literature search and drafting; core reasoning stays human. | 40% AI helps |
| Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction. AI drafts curriculum analyses; committee decisions stay human. | 40% AI helps |
Show the other 12 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks. AI can compare textbook options and handle ordering paperwork. | 40% AI helps |
| Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences. AI summarizes papers; conferences and colleague talks remain human. | 35% AI helps |
| Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head. Mostly meetings, people management and judgment; AI helps paperwork only. | 25% AI helps |
| Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. Career and course advice rests on personal judgment and trust. | 20% Needs a person |
| Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work. Mentoring students relies on personal judgment and sustained relationships. | 15% Needs a person |
| Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues. Committee deliberation and institutional politics need human judgment. | 15% Needs a person |
| Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. Live student conversations during office hours need human presence. | 12% Needs a person |
| Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues. Collaboration relies on human discussion and shared professional judgment. | 12% Needs a person |
| Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities. Recruiting and placement depend on face to face contact and trust. | 12% Needs a person |
| Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. Live discussion with students needs real-time human facilitation. | 10% Needs a person |
| Act as advisers to student organizations. Advising student groups requires physical presence and personal trust. | 8% Needs a person |
| Participate in campus and community events. Campus and community events require physical presence and social engagement. | 5% Needs a person |
How philosophy professors compare
All occupations (923)
Educational instruction and library (62)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $80,260 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 20,460 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.0% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Grade papers with rubrics in Blackboard Learn
- Run discussion seminars in a learning management system LMS
- Write grant proposals for external research funding
- Lead live lectures on ethics, logic, and religious thought
- Advise students during scheduled office hours
- Verify AI-compiled bibliographies in Microsoft Word
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about philosophy professors and AI
Will AI replace philosophy professors?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours of a philosophy professor's week go to tasks AI can already do, mostly record keeping and course material drafting. Teaching live seminars, advising students, and judging final grades stay with people.
Which tasks are philosophy professors' AI taking over?
Maintaining attendance records and grades scores 80 on exposure, so AI can handle routine entry in the LMS. Preparing syllabi, handouts, and assignments scores 70, since AI drafts these well. Compiling bibliographies also scores 70, though a professor must check each citation.
Which tasks of philosophy professors stay human?
Leading classroom discussions scores only 10 on exposure, because live facilitation needs a person in the room. Office hours score 12, since students bring personal questions that need human presence. Collaborating with colleagues also scores 12, because it depends on shared professional judgment.
How can philosophy professors stay valuable as AI spreads?
Use AI to draft syllabi and bibliographies, then spend the saved hours on live seminars and office hours. Check every AI citation against the source before it reaches students. Keep final grading and written feedback in your hand, and build research grant proposals around your argument.
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Next steps for philosophy professors
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