Short answer
This is one of the most exposed jobs, and BLS projects it to shrink. Exposure is not a forecast of job loss on its own, but here the two point the same way.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Insurance Underwriters? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places insurance underwriters in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to fall by 3.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 6,800 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 12/100Higher than 4% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- -3.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 6,800BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed insurance underwriters are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Insurance Underwriters land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Resolving conflicts and negotiating with others3.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Making decisions and solving problems4.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information4.1/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Time spent sitting4.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Getting information4.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Analyzing data or information4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for insurance underwriters
- Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.
- Decline excessive risks.
- Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.
- Decrease value of policy when risk is substandard and specify applicable endorsements or apply rating to ensure safe, profitable distribution of risks, using reference materials.
- Evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.
- Review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects -3.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 6,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 105,420 people work in the job today, at a median of $81,370 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full insurance underwriter profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than insurance underwriters
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Insurance Appraiser, Auto Damage
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $78,240median a year
- Growth
- −8.7%
- Openings / yr
- 700
- Education
- Certificate
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 38/100
- resilience
Appraise automobile or other vehicle damage to determine repair costs for insurance claim settlement.
Fundraiser
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $72,550median a year
- Growth
- +5.5%
- Openings / yr
- 10,000
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 37/100
- resilience
Organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization.
Labor Relations Specialist
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $95,420median a year
- Growth
- +2.1%
- Openings / yr
- 4,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 28/100
- resilience
Resolve disputes between workers and managers, negotiate collective bargaining agreements, or coordinate grievance procedures to handle employee complaints.
Questions
Will AI Replace Insurance Underwriters? FAQ
Will AI replace insurance underwriters?
This is one of the most exposed jobs, and BLS projects it to shrink. Exposure is not a forecast of job loss on its own, but here the two point the same way. 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 fall by 3.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 6,800 openings a year.
How exposed are insurance underwriters to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Insurance Underwriters are in the very high category, alongside 198 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 an insurance underwriter'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, time spent sitting and getting information. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships 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 an insurance underwriter a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, insurance underwriters score 12 out of 100, higher than 4% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $81,370 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 insurance underwriters are less exposed to AI?
Insurance Appraiser, Auto Damage (high exposure, $78,240 median), Fundraiser (high exposure, $72,550 median), Labor Relations Specialist (high exposure, $95,420 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than insurance underwriters, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.