Somewhat Resilient
Last Update: 8/30/2026
AI Resilience Score for Counter and Rental Clerks:
40.2%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Low
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
High
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Med
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
This result is backed by strong agreement across multiple data sources.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forCounter and Rental Clerks
$41,300 median salary•46,100 annual openings•SOC Code: 41-2021.00
Counter and Rental Clerks are somewhat less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 8 sources.
Counter and rental clerk work is labeled "Somewhat Resilient" because AI is already handling a big chunk of the routine tasks in this career, like reservations, customer service chats, and record-keeping, with some platforms now resolving around 80% of customer requests without any human involved. At the same time, real-world tasks like physically inspecting equipment, making judgment calls on damage, and helping frustrated customers when technology gets something wrong still need a human touch that AI genuinely struggles to replace.
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Counter and rental clerk work is labeled "Somewhat Resilient" because AI is already handling a big chunk of the routine tasks in this career, like reservations, customer service chats, and record-keeping, with some platforms now resolving around 80% of customer requests without any human involved. At the same time, real-world tasks like physically inspecting equipment, making judgment calls on damage, and helping frustrated customers when technology gets something wrong still need a human touch that AI genuinely struggles to replace.
Read full analysisLearn more about how you can thrive in this position
View analysisChat with CoachLatest newsMore career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Counter and Rental Clerks
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Counter and Rental Clerks jobs?
AI is already reshaping the everyday work of counter and rental clerks, especially the record-keeping and reservation tasks that top your list. In equipment rental, United Rentals launched an "Equipment Agent" that provides recommendations through a conversational interface, letting users describe job needs in plain language and receive tailored equipment suggestions within seconds while comparing specs like capacity, reach, and required accessories, and executives report customers seeing "a 70% improvement in finding the right equipment for their projects" [1]. In car rental, an Auto Rental News feature on the 2026 International Car Rental Show [2] described Orcar, a fully automated, counter-free car rental platform that uses AI throughout the rental journey, from booking to vehicle return, operating like a larger company with only a five-person team, and noted that its AI agent "Mobi" originally handled 20–30% of customer service requests but now resolves about 80%.
Hands-on tasks such as inspecting and tagging items are being augmented rather than fully replaced — Hertz's automated damage-scanning system flags fewer than 3% of vehicles for billable damage [3], but humans still make the final judgment calls.
How fast is AI adoption growing for Counter and Rental Clerks?
Adoption is moving quickly where AI clearly saves money: Orcar partners reduce operating costs by about 20% to 30% while attracting more international reservations, and the BLS's 2026 projections [4] explicitly warn that "as the integration of upcoming and new AI technologies into workflows expands, various types of office and administrative support workers are expected to see additional efficiency gains", limiting demand for clerks. But adoption faces real speed bumps. Hertz's damage scanner triggered a viral backlash because customers could not contact a human through Hertz's mobile app to dispute charges, showing that trust and customer experience matter.
Brookings researchers note that around 6.1 million workers [5], primarily in clerical and administrative roles, lack adaptive capacity due to limited savings, advanced age, scarce local opportunities, and/or narrow skill sets, so the human side of change is a real concern. The hopeful takeaway: skills that stay valuable are the ones AI struggles with — friendly problem-solving, inspecting real items in the real world, and helping frustrated customers when the tech gets it wrong. Building comfort with new digital tools now can turn you into the person who runs the AI, not the person replaced by it.
Sources
Will AI replace Counter and Rental Clerks?
Not entirely. We think AI will take over some tasks, but not the whole job.
Counter and rental clerks already feel AI's reach. Orcar, a counter-free car rental platform, uses an AI agent that now handles about 80% of customer service requests, and its partners cut operating costs by roughly 20% to 30% [2]. The BLS warns that AI efficiency gains will limit demand for clerks in office and administrative roles going forward [4]. That pressure is real, and our 40.2% AI Resilience Score reflects it.
Still, the job is not disappearing. Hertz's automated damage scanner flags fewer than 3% of vehicles for billable damage, but humans still make the final call [3]. When AI gets things wrong, customers want a person to fix it. Hertz learned this the hard way when customers could not reach a human to dispute charges and the backlash went viral. Friendly problem-solving, physical inspections, and calming frustrated people are exactly the skills AI struggles with most.
The practical advice: learn the tools early. Clerks who get comfortable running AI systems become harder to replace than those who avoid them. The role is changing, not vanishing, and the people who adapt will be the ones who stay.
Sources
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Latest AI news for Counter and Rental Clerks
The recommended articles highlight the evolving role of AI in the job market, particularly for Counter and Rental Clerks. For instance, Microsoft's research indicates that jobs in customer service may face significant automation, but roles requiring personal interaction and problem-solving skills are more resilient. Bill Gates also suggests that jobs involving human connection will endure, emphasizing the importance of developing interpersonal skills. As AI tools like ChatGPT become more capable, embracing technology while focusing on unique human attributes can help students thrive in this career path.
Bill Gates claims only three jobs will survive after AI takeover
www.tyla.com • 3/19/2026
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has predicted which three jobs he thinks will be safe from artificial intelligence.
OpenAI Says ChatGPT Can Already Do Some Work Tasks as Well as Humans
gizmodo.com • 9/30/2025
OpenAI is trying to make the case that AI can actually be useful at work, as some recent studies have shown that companies aren't getting...
AI and the Future of Work: Microsoft Identifies Jobs Most Vulnerable to GenAI
cloudwars.com • 8/13/2025
New research from Microsoft analyzes 200000 Copilot user conversations to rank jobs by their AI susceptibility.
Which Jobs Are AI-Safe? Microsoft’s Surprising Data
www.forbes.com • 8/7/2025
Is your job at risk? Microsoft's new study identifies which careers are considered AI-safe jobs and which may disappear as automation grows.
Microsoft study reveals the 40 jobs AI is most likely to impact — and 40 that are safe (for now)
www.tomsguide.com • 7/30/2025
A new Microsoft study ranks the 40 jobs most at risk of being replaced by AI and the 40 roles that are safest for now.
More Career Info
Career: Counter and Rental Clerks
They assist customers by taking orders, answering questions, and providing rental items like cars or equipment.
Parent Careers
Similar Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$41,300
Jobs (2025)
409,400
Growth (2025-35)
+3.0%
Annual Openings
46,100
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-2035
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Inspect and adjust rental items to meet needs of customer.
2
Prepare merchandise for display or for purchase or rental.
3
Receive, examine, and tag articles to be altered, cleaned, stored, or repaired.
4
Greet customers and discuss the type, quality, and quantity of merchandise sought for rental.
5
Recommend and provide advice on a wide variety of products and services.
6
Rent items, arrange for provision of services to customers, and accept returns.
7
Allocate equipment to participants in sporting events or recreational activities.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
