Postal Service Clerks

Postal clerks still do many tasks in person, but new technology is helping with some routine work. For example, machines and online tools already help customers weigh packages and print correct postage (like USPS kiosks and websites). The Postal Service is also testing AI-based scanners: one project uses optical character recognition to automatically check if packages have the right postage and can even read damaged barcodes ^[1].

Customers can rent PO boxes through usps.com without a clerk ^[2], and USPS plans to add AI chatbots to handle common customer questions ^[3]. However, practices that need human judgment or trust – such as answering complex questions or cashing money orders – are still done by people ^[4]. Unions note that past automation (like mail-sorting machines) has cut some clerks’ work, but the remaining tasks largely require personal service ^{[5] [4]}.

Why would USPS use AI fast or slow? On the plus side, many AI tools (like OCR scanning or chatbots) are commercially available and have shown benefits in tracking and processing mail ^{[1] [3]}. The Postal Service is under heavy financial pressure (with years of losses and dropping mail volume) ^{[6] [6]}, so efficiency gains are very attractive.

However, investing in AI systems can be expensive and slow. USPS plans over $40 billion in IT and equipment upgrades through 2030 ^[2], so it must balance the cost against its current labor expenses (e.g. clerks earn roughly $58,000 a year on average ^[4]). Privacy and trust also matter: by law mail is sealed, so AI can only check addresses and barcodes, and many customers still prefer talking with a person for money or tough problems.

In practice, experts expect AI to augment clerks (doing heavy scanning or routine questions) while human workers keep the parts that need empathy and experience ^{[4] [3]}. The result should be more helpful tools, not no postal clerks at all.