Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan

Right now, many parts of an interviewer’s job are helped by computers, but people are still very important. For example, most surveys today use tablets or online forms instead of paper, which auto-captures answers and checks for missing data ^[1]. This means tasks like recording and coding responses are already semi-automated – studies show digital surveys cut down on data-entry errors and enforce consistency checks ^[1].

However, the core of the job – actually talking with people – is hard for a machine to replace. AI voice or chat “interviewers” are starting to exist, but they are mainly used for very simple questionnaires. Complex conversations (like helping someone understand a tricky question) usually still need a human.

In fact, official data show there were about 198,000 interviewers in 2023, up from 146,000 in 2014 ^[2], even though future projections expect this number to slowly fall (about –10% over 10 years) ^[2]. This suggests computers and tablets (often called CAPI/CATI systems) are handling more of the routine work (asking fixed questions, storing answers) while people remain essential for the personal touch.

Several factors affect how quickly AI might replace or augment this job. One big reason AI could be adopted is cost savings. If a company can survey people 24/7 with a chatbot, they might reduce labor costs.

On the other hand, interviewers are relatively low-paid (around $36,000 per year on average ^[2]) and much of the work is seasonal or project-based. That makes expensive new AI systems harder to justify for some employers. Survey researchers also point out that high-tech tools (like tablets or AI software) can be costly to start with, though over time their benefits (fewer errors, faster data) often outweigh those costs ^[1].