Will AI replace Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products?

What this score means

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products is among the more exposed roles in Sales & Marketing. A large share of the work, especially its routine and text-heavy parts, is already within reach of current AI, though the harder judgment calls still need a person. At 56 out of 100 it scores 8 points above the Sales & Marketing average of 48. Across the 4 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 49 to 59, so the score is a weighted consensus rather than any single figure.

The number is a consensus estimate for the typical version of the role, built from published academic and industry research scored occupation by occupation. It is not a prediction about any individual. How scoring works

What this job actually involves

Exposure follows the work itself rather than the job title, so it is worth seeing what the role is made of. These are the tasks O*NET records for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products, most central first, showing 12 of 33.

• 01Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
• 02Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders.
• 03Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales.
• 04Maintain customer records, using automated systems.
• 05Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms.
• 06Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications.
• 07Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs.
• 08Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.
• 09Compute customer's installation or production costs and estimate savings from new services, products, or equipment.
• 10Select or assist customers in selecting products based on customer needs, product specifications, and applicable regulations.
• 11Prepare sales presentations or proposals to explain product specifications or applications.
• 12Complete expense reports, sales reports, or other paperwork.

Task statements from O*NET by the National Center for O*NET Development, used under CC BY 4.0. The tasks are descriptive; the exposure score above is ours.

The research behind this score

This baseline aggregates 4 research sources that scored Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

• 01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026
• 02Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure · 2025
• 03GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024
• 04AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023

Also covers

Abrasives Sales Representative · Agricultural Sales Representative · Aircraft Equipment and Parts Sales Representative · Aircraft Sales Representative · Animal Feed Products Sales Representative · Auto Sales Consultant (Automotive Sales Consultant) · Building Equipment and Supplies Sales Representative · Chemical Sales Representative and related titles

More sales & marketing occupations

• Advertising Sales Agents52/100
• Cashiers41/100
• Content Marketing Manager35/100
• Counter and Rental Clerks50/100
• Demonstrators and Product Promoters36/100
• Digital Marketing Manager38/100
• Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers49/100
• First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers53/100