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Business and Financial OperationsMarket Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists13-1161 · 2026-Q4
59% AI does it29% AI helps12% needs a human
Your job's name, lit by the work that still needs a human.Needs a human 12%AI helps 29%AI does it 59%
Each ridge is a slice of the job's task time.Needs a human 12%AI helps 29%AI does it 59%
The job’s mark

No two jobs leave the same print

Every job gets its own fingerprint, drawn from its code. The amber ridges are the share of task time that still needs a person. Below them, the same ridges are written out in ones and zeros: slate for the work AI helps with, white for the work AI can do.

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, O*NET-SOC 13-1161. 12% of the job’s task time still needs a human, so 12 of every 100 ridges are amber; slate is what AI helps with, white what AI can do.

What AI can and cannot do

The tasks that make up the job, from O*NET, and where AI stands on each today. 12% of the task time still needs a human.

Each block is one task; its height is its share of working time.Needs a human 12%AI helps 29%AI does it 59%
The job's task list: the parts AI can do are blacked out.Needs a human 12%AI helps 29%AI does it 59%
Prepare reports of findings, illustrating data graphically and translating complex findings into written text.AI does it
Seek and provide information to help companies determine their position in the marketplace.AI does it
Conduct research on consumer opinions and marketing strategies, collaborating with marketing professionals, statisticians, pollsters, and other professionals.AI does it
Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand.AI does it
Devise and evaluate methods and procedures for collecting data, such as surveys, opinion polls, or questionnaires, or arrange to obtain existing data.AI helps
Gather data on competitors and analyze their prices, sales, and method of marketing and distribution.AI does it
Measure and assess customer and employee satisfaction.AI helps
Monitor industry statistics and follow trends in trade literature.AI helps
Direct trained survey interviewers.Needs a human
Measure the effectiveness of marketing, advertising, and communications programs and strategies.AI does it
Forecast and track marketing and sales trends, analyzing collected data.AI does it
Attend staff conferences to provide management with information and proposals concerning the promotion, distribution, design, and pricing of company products or services.Needs a human
Develop and implement procedures for identifying advertising needs.AI helps

Is it better than a person? The evidence

No direct test against people in this job yet. Every study is graded A to D, and vendor studies are labelled as such.

When could it be replaced?

Could be largely automated 2034–2042

80% of scenarios between 2034 and 2042. A range from our scenario model of capability, adoption and friction, not a forecast that the job ends.

The sand is the human working years left, measured in the same 40-year glass for every job, so a safe trade starts nearly full and an exposed job with a thin layer.

The sand is the human working years left, in the same 40-year glass for every job.Years still needing a humanYears run out

How this job could shift, year by year

Where the job could sit on our scale each year to 2060, across the ten scenarios behind its replacement range.

Today
Will AI replace this job?
Partly.
By 2045
100%
of our scenarios have AI largely doing this job by 2045 (Largely.)
0% still have it mostly needing a person (A little. or Nah.)
By 2060
100%
of our scenarios have AI largely doing this job by 2060 (Largely.)
0% still have it mostly needing a person (A little. or Nah.)

We run this job as ten scenarios spread across its replacement range. In each, the score moves towards the bottom band (Largely: AI could largely do the job) by the year that scenario reaches it, slowly at first and faster later, as adoption usually goes. Each bar splits the ten by the band they put the job in. The model stops at 2060. How the timeline works

Share of this job's scenarios in each verdict band, today to 20600%25%50%75%100%2026: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could partly do this job (Partly.)100%Today2030: 70.0% of scenarios: AI could partly do this job (Partly.)70%2030: 30.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)30%20302035: 50.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)50%2035: 50.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)50%20352040: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)100%20402045: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)100%20452050: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)100%20502055: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)100%20552060: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)100%2060
Will AI replace the job?Largely.Mostly.Partly.A little.Nah.
Share of this job's scenarios in each band, year by year. Updated with every release.
Show the data
YearLargelyMostlyPartlyA littleNah
Today (2026)0.0%0.0%100.0%0.0%0.0%
20300.0%30.0%70.0%0.0%0.0%
203550.0%50.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
2040100.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
2045100.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
2050100.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
2055100.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
2060100.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%

What’s stopping AI taking over?

The things that keep this work with people, strongest first. Each is scored 0 to 100 from O*NET work context, licensing and the evidence we have.

Evidence gapNo study yet compares AI with people doing this job, so employers have no proof it is good enough.
LiabilityMistakes are rated 2.1 out of 5 for consequence and decisions 3.5 out of 5 for impact; someone has to answer for them.
Clients want a personFace-to-face contact is rated 3.5 and physical closeness 2.1 out of 5; caring for or serving people is 1.6 out of 5 in importance.
LicensingUsual entry requirement (BLS): bachelor's degree.
RegulationWorkers rate responsibility for others' health and safety 1.4 out of 5; the sector has its own rules on who may do the work.
Physical work0% of the task time is physical.

What would it cost to hand the work to AI?

The share of the year AI could handle (1,196 of 2,080 hours a year), priced two ways. Both are ranges, not quotes.

AI model usage, a year
$120–$11,960
A person’s wage for the same hours
$24,950–$89,400

AI cost covers model usage only: no integration, licences, oversight or the human time still needed to review the work. Human cost is the wage for the same hours, without benefits or overheads. As of 2026-10.

Robots and humanoids

AI software can only take the work at a screen. The rest needs a robot that can do it.

0%
of the task time is physical work
None needed
the kind of robot the physical work would need
Little of this job is physical, so robotics is not what holds AI back.

Source: Anthropic Economic Index, 'What work can robots do?' (30 September 2026); O*NET 31.0 task weights.

Which AI skills does this job lean on?

The job’s task time split by what an AI model would need to be good at, and where models stand today.

Each star is a task, grouped by the AI skill it leans on.Needs a human 12%AI helps 29%AI does it 59%
Writing · 9.6% of time
Strong
Drafts, edits and translates most routine documents at professional quality.
Analysis · 65.3% of time
Strong
Reliable on structured data and rules; uneven on judgement calls with thin information.
Coding · 0% of time
Strong
Agents complete many routine software tasks end to end; larger systems still need people.
Vision and design · 0% of time
Good
Reads documents, images and layouts well; specialist imaging needs dedicated, approved tools.
Speech · 5.8% of time
Good
Voice agents handle routine calls and live interpreting; complex or sensitive calls still go to people.
Planning and agents · 13.3% of time
Emerging
Multi-step agents work in narrow, well-tooled workflows; open-ended coordination is unreliable.
Physical manipulation · 0% of time
Early
Robots handle structured, repetitive handling; general dexterity outside fixed settings is not commercial.
Care and persuasion · 6% of time
Limited
Can script, coach and advise; trust, presence and accountability still need a person.
Amber matter holds its orbit, slate circles the inner disc, white falls in.Needs a human 12%AI helps 29%AI does it 59%
How exposed is it?

Still needs a human: 54/100↑ safer

The amber matter on the outside holds its orbit: that is the task time that still needs a person. The slate matter circling the inner disc is the work AI helps with. The white matter is the share AI can do; it spirals in and is gone over the edge.

The matter follows the job’s task split: 12% needs a human, 29% AI helps, 59% AI does it. Still needs a human: 54/100 ↑ safer. Will AI replace them? Partly.

People are asking

How often people ask whether AI will replace this job: on Google, and by estimate, in AI assistants.

In the US

280
Google searches a month, 12-month average to August 2026
Google searches a month, September 2025 to August 2026: from 260 to 220
1,040
estimated questions to AI assistants in September 2026
Estimated questions to AI assistants a month, October 2025 to September 2026: from 148 to 1,040
0.31
Google searches a month for every 1,000 people in the job
109th of 197 among all jobs we have search data for

In the UK

50
Google searches a month, 12-month average to August 2026
270
estimated questions to AI assistants in September 2026
0.33
Google searches a month for every 1,000 people in the job in the UK (estimated)
125th of 197 among jobs we have UK search data for

Source: DataForSEO, US and UK, fetched October 3, 2026. Google figures are Google Ads’ rounded monthly averages. The AI figure is DataForSEO’s estimate from Google’s “People also ask” data, not a count from any AI assistant. UK workers are ONS employment figures matched to this job, so the UK rate per 1,000 is an estimate. Search figures are not part of our open dataset.

What the AIs say

We asked four AI assistants the same question: will AI replace this job in the next 10 years? One word (Yes, Partly or No), then one sentence. Our own answer, from the data: Still needs a human: 54/100 ↑ safer. Will AI replace them? Partly.

ChatGPTPartly

AI will automate many analytical and content-related tasks, but human judgment, strategy, creativity, and stakeholder understanding will remain important.

gpt-5.5-2026-04-23 · asked 2026-10-03
ClaudePartly

AI will automate much of the data gathering, analysis, and reporting work these roles currently perform, but human judgment, client relationships, creative strategy, and contextual interpretation will likely remain essential, shifting the jobs rather than eliminating them entirely.

claude-sonnet-5 · asked 2026-10-03
GeminiPartly

While AI will automate routine data collection, pattern recognition, and content generation, human specialists will still be essential for strategic decision-making, cultural nuance, and interpreting complex consumer emotions.

gemini-3.8-flash · asked 2026-10-03
PerplexityPartly

AI will automate many routine research and marketing tasks, but strategic judgment, creativity, experimentation, and stakeholder expertise will keep humans central.

sonar · asked 2026-10-03

Assistants answer from what they learned in training (Perplexity also searches the web), so they can be confidently wrong, and the same question can get a different answer tomorrow. Our score is built from task data and graded evidence. Answers collected through DataForSEO.

Cite this page

NeedsAHuman.com (2026). Will AI replace Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists? Partly. Still needs a human: 54/100, higher is safer; release 2026-Q4. https://needsahuman.com/jobs/market-research-analysts-and-marketing-specialists/ (accessed 3 October 2026).

Scores change with each release, so cite the release. The data is open under CC BY 4.0: credit NeedsAHuman.com with a link. Open data · Press

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The badge updates itself with each release and links back to this page.

Sources

  • Tasks and work context: O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0).
  • Jobs, pay and projections: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and Employment Projections 2025–35.
  • How AI is used today: Anthropic Economic Index; Microsoft Research, "Working with AI".
  • What AI can do: our task ratings (rubric r1) and the quality evidence register.
  • UK names and employment: ONS SOC 2020 coding index and Annual Population Survey.

How each score is built: methodology. Every figure on this page: open data. Release 2026-Q4.