---
title: "Will AI Replace Detectives and Criminal Investigators?"
description: "BLS rates detectives and criminal investigators' exposure to AI as high. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-detectives-and-criminal-investigators"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Detectives and Criminal Investigators? (2026)

**Short answer:** Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places detectives and criminal investigators in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to change by +0.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 7,800 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | High | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 54/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +0.2% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 7,800 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $93,790 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High (this job) | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Performing for or working directly with the public: 4.4/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Assisting and caring for others: 4.1/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Resolving conflicts and negotiating with others: 4.3/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Face-to-face discussions: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work context)

## What AI reaches first

- Processing information: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Documenting/recording information: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repeating the same tasks: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Analyzing data or information: 4.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- Prepare reports that detail investigation findings.
- Obtain and verify evidence by interviewing and observing suspects and witnesses or by analyzing records.
- Obtain facts or statements from complainants, witnesses, and accused persons and record interviews, using recording device.
- Prepare and serve search and arrest warrants.
- Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.
- Collaborate with other offices and agencies to exchange information and coordinate activities.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than detectives and criminal investigators

- [First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers](https://nuecareer.com/careers/first-line-supervisor-of-firefighting-and-prevention-workers): BLS exposure Low, median $93,530
- [First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives](https://nuecareer.com/careers/first-line-supervisor-of-police-and-detectives): BLS exposure Moderate, median $106,040; [Will AI replace first-line supervisors of police and detectives?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-first-line-supervisors-of-police-and-detectives)
- [Transit and Railroad Police](https://nuecareer.com/careers/transit-and-railroad-police): BLS exposure Moderate, median $90,230

## FAQ

**Will AI replace detectives and criminal investigators?**

Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +0.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 7,800 openings a year.

**How exposed are detectives and criminal investigators to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Detectives and Criminal Investigators are in the high category, alongside 189 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

**What parts of a detective and criminal investigator's job can AI do?**

In O\*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, documenting/recording information and repeating the same tasks. The parts that hold up best are performing for or working directly with the public, assisting and caring for others and resolving conflicts and negotiating with others. These come from O\*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

**Is being a detective and criminal investigator a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, detectives and criminal investigators score 54 out of 100, higher than 72% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $93,790 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

**What careers similar to detectives and criminal investigators are less exposed to AI?**

First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (low exposure, $93,530 median), First-Line Supervisor of Police and Detectives (moderate exposure, $106,040 median), Transit and Railroad Police (moderate exposure, $90,230 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than detectives and criminal investigators, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/detective-and-criminal-investigator.

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology