As of August 2026,
Detectives and Criminal Investigators has an AI-exposure score of 57/100
(Elevated exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index. This is an estimate of task
exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Score inputs for this role:
This role starts from O*NET 29.1 occupational descriptors and is empirically grounded by Penn/OpenAI GPTs are GPTs study, Anthropic Economic Index (June 26, 2026), Felten, Raj and Seamans AIOE index. BLS labor-market figures are separate context, not score inputs.
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
More exposed than 53% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$93,790. About 7,800 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 - growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) - your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
Will AI replace Detectives and Criminal Investigators?
No exposure score can predict whether AI will replace this role. The 57/100 score means our current model estimates elevated task exposure from the sources listed on this page. It does not predict an employer decision, headcount, or an individual outcome. The task map below shows the work assessed and where human judgment remains important.
Early-career context (study ages 22-25)
This role's task mix is automation-heavy, but it sits in the Elevated exposure band rather than our highest-exposure bands. That is only a partial match to the study's cohort, so the headline figure is context rather than a direct forecast for this role.
The November 2025 revision reports a 16% relative employment decline for workers ages 22-25 in the most AI-exposed U.S. occupations, after firm-level controls, relative to workers in less-exposed fields and more experienced workers in the same occupations.
Use the task map to identify durable work and the skills worth building early.
Stanford Digital Economy Lab, Canaries in the Coal Mine - November 2025 revision
This is group-level U.S. payroll evidence, not a personal forecast. The authors do not claim that AI alone caused the change, and this context does not alter the exposure score.
How this role compares to similar Protective Service roles
What this role usually involves
Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
Broad guidance for this preparation level; exact requirements vary by role and employer.
Source: O*NET 29.1 exact occupation - Detectives and Criminal Investigators, SOC 33-3021.00. Context describes the role; the AI-exposure score remains a separate task-exposure estimate.
Detectives and Criminal Investigators tasks, by AI exposure
- Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.
- Examine records and governmental agency files to find identifying data about suspects.
- Examine records to locate links in chains of evidence or information.
- Check victims for signs of life, such as breathing and pulse.
- Preserve, process, and analyze items of evidence obtained from crime scenes and suspects, placing them in proper containers and destroying evidence no longer needed.
No durable tasks identified for this role - its individually-assessed tasks split 55% automatable / 45% augmentable.
We analyzed all 20 Detectives and Criminal Investigators tasks - 11 automatable and 9 augmentable. The full task map - every task with exactly what to do about each - is in your Career Report.
Your report unlocks three concrete artifacts
Every task scored with what to automate, augment, or protect.
Related roles with exposure deltas, salary, demand, and reachability. Lower-exposure options appear only when the data supports them.
A keepable roadmap plus resume and LinkedIn repositioning.
Grounded in O*NET-linked or curated role data, with Penn, Anthropic Economic Index, and AIOE signals where matched. BLS labor-market context is separate - not generic advice.
Adjacent career paths
No evidence-backed lower-exposure match appears in this O*NET adjacency set. The adjacent paths below remain useful comparisons; the strongest resilience moves are task-level.
Record progress of investigation, maintain informational files on suspects, and submit reports to commanding officer or magistrate to authorize warrants.
Your AI-Safe Career Report
Every task scored with what to do about it; adjacent paths with honest exposure deltas, salary, demand, and reachability; a skill-gap map; a 30/60/90-day roadmap; Agent Reality Check; plus a résumé and LinkedIn rewrite and professional PDF.
Grounded in O*NET-linked or curated role data, with Penn, Anthropic Economic Index, and AIOE signals where matched. BLS labor-market context is separate.
Workers with AI skills earn a roughly 62% wage premium - adapting pays. - PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer, 2026
Generation starts after checkout; reports are typically ready within a few minutes.
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Detectives and Criminal Investigators - median pay by US state (BLS OEWS, USD)
Median annual wage, in USD. US national: US$93,790. More states are being added.