A Data Entry Clerk carries a 89/100 AI replacement risk (high). AI can already handle keying data from documents; Handling ambiguous source documents still needs a person. Of exposed work, ~86% is automation vs 14% augmentation. Capability clock: within reach now. (ReplacedYet AI-Risk Index, 2026 data.)

Will AI replace a Data Entry Clerk?

AI replacement risk: 89/100 (high risk). High exposure — AI can already handle a large share of this role’s tasks.

Timeline: Happening now. Of the exposed work, roughly 86% is likely to be automated and 14% augmented. $5.1B/yr of US wages sit in highly-exposed work for this role.

AI/software exposure: 92%. Robot/physical-automation exposure: 0%.

Capability clock: AI's measured task horizon reaches this role's core complexity (~1.4h of human work) Within reach now — projected from METR's ~4.3-month doubling.

Pressure Index: 92/100 (high) — blends risk, demand trend, and real-world evidence. Job postings down 52% vs 2020.

AI tools targeting this role

• UiPath — robotic process automation of repetitive data entry
• Rossum — extracting structured data from documents and invoices
• Nanonets — reading forms and capturing fields without manual keying

Layoff signal: high — Routine keying work is among the most automatable, and many back-office teams have cited automation in shrinking data-entry headcount.

Then vs. now: the 2013 Oxford study scored this 99%; our 2026 index scores it 89% (a fall of 10 points).

Tasks at risk

• Keying data from documents — OCR + LLMs extract and structure documents end-to-end.
• Validating and correcting records — Rule + model-based validation runs automatically.
• Formatting and transferring data — Scripts and AI agents move data between systems unattended.

Tasks that still need a human

• Handling ambiguous source documents — Edge cases still need a human to interpret intent.
• Exception escalation — Judgment calls on bad data are routed to people.

Skills that protect you

• Data quality / analytics — Move from entering data to governing and analyzing it.
• Automation tooling — Operate the RPA/AI pipelines that replace manual entry.
• Database administration — Own the systems rather than feed them.

Safer adjacent careers

Office Manager (26%) · Executive Assistant (58%) · Billing Clerk (66%) · Payroll Clerk (66%)

Related jobs

Data Entry Keyer (73%) · Procurement Clerk (72%) · Virtual Assistant (72%) · Office Clerk (71%)

Category: Administrative · Methodology · Download the dataset

ReplacedYet AI-Risk Index. Last updated 2026-06-26. AI-estimated and directionally useful, not a guarantee.