Will AI replace stenographers?
Updated
Typists score 66 of 100 for AI exposure. AI can already do 58% of their task time. Another 26% gets faster with AI, and 16% still needs a person.
- 58% AI can do it
- 26% AI helps
- 16% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 97% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 19 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 11 of them today, speeds up 5 and leaves 3 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Type correspondence, reports, text and other written material from rough drafts, corrected copies, voice recordings, dictation, or previous versions, using a computer, word processor, or typewriter. Speech and text AI turn dictation and drafts into documents. | 88% AI can do it |
| Check completed work for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and format. Grammar and spell checks are routine for AI tools. | 85% AI can do it |
| Search for specific sets of stored, typed characters to make changes. Find and replace is built into standard word processors. | 80% AI can do it |
| Compute and verify totals on report forms, requisitions, or bills, using adding machine or calculator. Calculators and spreadsheets verify totals exactly and quickly. | 75% AI can do it |
| Electronically sort and compile text and numerical data, retrieving, updating, and merging documents as required. Scripts and tools merge and sort text and data reliably. | 75% AI can do it |
| Reformat documents, moving paragraphs or columns. Word processors and AI move paragraphs and columns readily. | 75% AI can do it |
| Keep records of work performed. Logs and tracking records are easily generated by software. | 70% AI can do it |
| Adjust settings for format, page layout, line spacing, and other style requirements. Style templates and AI set layout and spacing settings quickly. | 70% AI can do it |
| Transmit work electronically to other locations. Emailing or uploading files is simple digital work. | 65% AI can do it |
| Use data entry devices, such as optical scanners, to input data into computers for revision or editing. OCR reads scanned text; loading documents needs a person. | 65% AI can do it |
Show the other 9 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Manage schedules and set dates, times, and locations for meetings and appointments. AI calendar assistants book meetings and handle time zones. | 60% AI can do it |
| Work with technical material, preparing statistical reports, planning and typing statistical tables, and combining and rearranging material from different sources. AI drafts tables well; a person must verify technical data. | 58% AI helps |
| File and store completed documents on computer hard drive or disk, or maintain a computer filing system to store, retrieve, update, and delete documents. Software handles saving and retrieval; a person sets structure. | 55% AI helps |
| Address envelopes or prepare envelope labels, using typewriter or computer. Mail merge makes labels; envelope feeding stays manual. | 50% AI helps |
| Gather, register, and arrange the material to be typed, following instructions. Digital intake helps, but gathering physical paper stays manual. | 40% AI helps |
| Perform other clerical duties, such as answering telephone, sorting and distributing mail, running errands or sending faxes. Phone answering automatable; mail runs and errands physical. | 25% AI helps |
| Collate pages of reports and other documents. Physically arranging pages is hands on work. | 20% Needs a person |
| Print and make copies of work. Printing and copying need physical machines and paper handling. | 10% Needs a person |
| Operate and resupply printers and computers, changing print wheels or fluid cartridges, adding paper, and loading blank tapes, cards, or disks into equipment. Loading paper, toner and cartridges is physical work. | 5% Needs a person |
How typists compare
All occupations (923)
Office and administrative support (51)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $49,280 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 35,010 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- -34.4% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Run mail merge and label templates in Microsoft Word
- Verify totals on requisitions and bills in Microsoft Excel
- Manage document versions and access in Microsoft SharePoint
- Assemble and check PDF packets in Adobe Acrobat
- Load printers and finish physical document runs
- Sort and file paper source documents before typing
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about typists and AI
Will stenographers be replaced by AI?
Mostly. About 6 in 10 of a typist's working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly typing documents from drafts and voice recordings and checking spelling, grammar and format. Printing, collating and handling paper stay with people because they need physical machines and hands.
Will AI take over stenographers?
AI can already do 58% of the task time in stenographers and speeds up another 26%. People still do 16% of it. The US has 35,010 typist jobs, with a projected change of -34.4% from 2024 to 2034.
Which typist tasks is AI taking over?
Typing correspondence and reports from drafts, dictation or previous versions has an exposure score of 88, the highest in this job. Speech recognition turns voice recordings into text, and word processors fix spelling and grammar automatically. Find and replace and paragraph reformatting, scored 80 and 75, are built into standard software.
Which typist tasks stay with people?
Loading paper, toner and cartridges scores 5 for exposure, and printing and copying score 10. Both need a person to handle physical machines and paper. Collating pages, scored 20, is hands-on work too, since someone has to physically arrange each sheet.
How can typists stay valuable?
Take on the setup and checking steps that software leaves to people. Run mail merge and track changes in Microsoft Word, verify figures in Microsoft Excel, and keep document versions accurate in Microsoft SharePoint. Those steps decide whether an AI draft is ready to send.
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