Short answer
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +2.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 115,700 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 29/100Higher than 21% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +2.7%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 115,700BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel 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. Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 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
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Resolving conflicts and negotiating with others4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Selling or influencing others4.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Getting information4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Email4.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Time spent sitting4.2/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Answer customers' questions about services, prices, availability, or credit terms.
- Contact prospective or existing customers to discuss how services can meet their needs.
- Emphasize or recommend service features based on knowledge of customers' needs and vendor capabilities and limitations.
- Quote prices, credit terms, contract terms, or fulfillment dates for services.
- Identify prospective customers using business directories, leads from clients, or information from conferences or trade shows.
- Maintain customer records using automated systems.
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 +2.7% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 115,700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 1,256,010 people work in the job today, at a median of $69,990 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
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.
Demonstrator and Product Promoter
Sales and Related
- Median pay
- $39,320median a year
- Growth
- +0.2%
- Openings / yr
- 11,400
- Education
- No formal credential
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 57/100
- resilience
Demonstrate merchandise and answer questions for the purpose of creating public interest in buying the product.
Sales Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $148,270median a year
- Growth
- +4.5%
- Openings / yr
- 47,300
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 41/100
- resilience
Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer.
New Accounts Clerk
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $47,670median a year
- Growth
- −6.5%
- Openings / yr
- 2,300
- Education
- High school
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 35/100
- resilience
Interview persons desiring to open accounts in financial institutions.
Questions
Will AI Replace Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel? FAQ
Will AI replace sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel?
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, 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 +2.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 115,700 openings a year.
How exposed are sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 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 a sales representative of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel'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, getting information and email. The parts that hold up best are establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships, face-to-face discussions 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 sales representative of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel score 29 out of 100, higher than 21% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $69,990 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.
What careers similar to sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel are less exposed to AI?
Demonstrator and Product Promoter (high exposure, $39,320 median), Sales Manager (high exposure, $148,270 median), New Accounts Clerk (high exposure, $47,670 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel, 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.