AI exposure: Private Detectives and Investigators
Gather, analyze, compile, and report information regarding individuals or organizations to clients, or detect occurrences of unlawful acts or infractions of rules in private establishment.
Reading this score
computedPrivate Detectives and Investigators is one of the unusual cases where capability and friction are both high. Current systems can produce a great deal of this work, with average capability across its tasks at 2.1 out of 4. Only 23.2% of the weighted task load comes out as exposed, because 27.1% of it runs into something structural. Jobs in this band tend not to disappear. They change shape, and the person stays.
What holds the line here is context. Across this occupation's 14 tasks it averages 2.29 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work depends on knowledge the model cannot hold. Much of this job runs on things that were never written down: what this particular organisation does, what happened last week, what the person across the table actually meant. That context is the barrier, and it erodes as systems are given more access.
The most exposed thing this job does is Count cash and review transactions, sales checks, or register tapes to verify amounts or to..., at 73.3%. The least is Testify at hearings or court trials to present evidence, at 0.0%. A gap of 73.3% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within protective service occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 26 roles in the group is 18.3%, and only 5 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 14 tasks, 3 are currently banded exposed, 7 assisted and 4 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take a change in who is permitted to sign the work, which is a question for regulators rather than for engineers. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 2.07 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.14 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 1.82 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 1.75 | 0-3 |
| Context | 2.29 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 2.25 | 0-3 |
What this means in practice
Roles in this band tend to change shape rather than disappear. The output gets drafted faster and the person moves toward review, judgment and accountability. The useful question is not whether to use these tools but who is trusted to sign off on what they produce.
Task by task
14 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count cash and review transactions, sales checks, or register tapes to verify amounts or to identify shortages. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 3.71 | exposed |
| Search computer databases, credit reports, public records, tax or legal filings, or other resources to locate persons or to compile information for investigations. | 52.5% | 35.0% | 12.5% | 4.43 | exposed |
| Write reports or case summaries to document investigations. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.80 | exposed |
| Obtain and analyze information on suspects, crimes, or disturbances to solve cases, to identify criminal activity, or to gather information for court cases. | 35.0% | 40.0% | 25.0% | 4.33 | assisted |
| Alert appropriate personnel to suspects' locations. | 30.0% | 45.0% | 25.0% | 3.76 | assisted |
| Conduct private investigations on a paid basis. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 4.52 | assisted |
| Conduct personal background investigations, such as pre-employment checks, to obtain information about an individual's character, financial status, or personal history. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 4.36 | assisted |
| Perform undercover operations, such as evaluating the performance or honesty of employees by posing as customers or employees. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 3.86 | assisted |
| Expose fraudulent insurance claims or stolen funds. | 13.3% | 36.7% | 50.0% | 4.36 | assisted |
| Investigate companies' financial standings, or locate funds stolen by embezzlers, using accounting skills. | 13.3% | 36.7% | 50.0% | 4.04 | assisted |
| Question persons to obtain evidence for cases of divorce, child custody, or missing persons or information about individuals' character or financial status. | 8.3% | 16.7% | 75.0% | 4.30 | untouched |
| Confer with establishment officials, security departments, police, or postal officials to identify problems, provide information, or receive instructions. | 5.0% | 20.0% | 75.0% | 3.58 | untouched |
| Observe and document activities of individuals to detect unlawful acts or to obtain evidence for cases, using binoculars and still or video cameras. | 2.9% | 9.6% | 87.5% | 4.25 | untouched |
| Testify at hearings or court trials to present evidence. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.32 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.