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.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Judges? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places judges 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 +2.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 800 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- HighBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 16/100Higher than 7% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +2.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 800BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed judges 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. Judges land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.
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%
- High · this job190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 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
- Performing for or working directly with the public4.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Dealing with the public4.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Making decisions and solving problems4.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Documenting/recording information4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Getting information4.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for judges
- Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.
- Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues.
- Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony.
- Advise attorneys, juries, litigants, and court personnel regarding conduct, issues, and proceedings.
- Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges.
- Issue arrest warrants.
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 +2.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 24,030 people work in the job today, at a median of $153,990 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Questions
Will AI Replace Judges? FAQ
Will AI replace judges?
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 +2.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 800 openings a year.
How exposed are judges to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Judges 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 judge'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 evaluating information to determine compliance with standards. The parts that hold up best are performing for or working directly with the public, face-to-face discussions and dealing with the public. 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 judge a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, judges score 16 out of 100, higher than 7% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $153,990 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.
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.