Will AI replace Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary?

Some of your tasks will be automated. People who use AI will have the edge.

Task exposure to today's AI

41/100

Moderate exposure

This is the occupation's typical task mix. Your own score can be up to 30 points higher or lower depending on how you work: routine share, people contact, judgment and how much you already use AI.

Get your personal score

Will AI replace Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary?

Not entirely. Today's AI tools can take on about 41% of the typical work in this occupation, mostly: prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. The parts that stay human include: Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as research methods, urban anthropology, and language and culture.; Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and present findings in professional journals, books, electronic media, or at professional conferences.; Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences..

People who learn to use AI for the automatable parts keep the edge. The 3-phase plan below shows where to start.

Which tasks AI can take on

The largest tasks in this occupation, their share of the working week, and how much of each today's AI tools can do.

TaskAutomatable

Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. 78%

Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and present findings in professional journals, books, electronic media, or at professional conferences.AI already used 60%

Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.AI already used 55%

Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. 35%

Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.AI already used 30%

Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as research methods, urban anthropology, and language and culture.AI already used 20%

+ 20 more tasks (45% of the week) in the full test.

Your human edge

Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as research methods, urban anthropology, and language and culture.
Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and present findings in professional journals, books, electronic media, or at professional conferences.
Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.

AI tools to try

ChatGPT / Claude for lesson materialsAI quiz and feedback toolsPresentation and image generators

Related roles

A 3-phase AI learning plan

Phase 1

Materials and preparation

Lesson plans, tasks and differentiated materials with AI.
Quizzes and answer keys.
Check facts and age-appropriateness yourself.

Project

Use AI to build a full three-week unit on ethnographic field methods — slides, two differentiated reading sets and a 20-item quiz with answer key — then fact-check every citation yourself and log errors found.

Phase 2

Feedback and assessment

Rubrics and feedback drafts with AI.
Spotting common mistakes across student work.
Rules for student AI use and academic honesty.

Project

Draft an analytic rubric for an excavation report assignment with AI, use it to generate feedback on 20 anonymised student papers, and compare your grading time per paper against last term.

Phase 3

Teaching with AI

Teach students to use AI critically.
Assignments that work with AI, not against it.
Share materials and practice with colleagues.

Project

Redesign one artifact-analysis assignment so students must critique AI-generated interpretations, pilot it with a class alongside a written AI-use policy, and present results to your department.

Take the free 11-question test