AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Audio and Video Technicians?

Task-level automation exposure for Audio and Video Technicians: 29 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

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Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

42% weighted task index

29 of 29 tasks scored

Median Salary

$58,100 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

70,230 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+3.9% employment change

6,600 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 50 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$30,860 – $78,770

Highest medians

District of Columbia $78,770

New Jersey $71,040

Maryland $70,040

Washington $69,270

New York $67,600

Lowest medians

Puerto Rico $30,860

Mississippi $43,500

Arkansas $43,910

Louisiana $44,480

Maine $46,080

State figures come from the 27-4011 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.

What the score is made of

Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.

Automation potential 42%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 37%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 33%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 15%

Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.

Rewritten by O*NET 0%

Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.

Consequence of error 0/100 Low

O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.

Constituent Task Mix

29 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.

High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 23%

7 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 36%

12 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 41%

10 tasks

How would you survive?

Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.

Simulate Upskilling →

Emerging & rewritten tasks

Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.

New 05/2025 · AI/SME

Operate drones for aerial videography and photography during live events or for pre-recorded material.
New 08/2018 · Incumbent

Purchase audio or video equipment.

Constituent Tasks

#3980 · Core · 65% automatable

Notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed.

text generation — Equipment problem notification is routine messaging

Notify others of equipment problems.

#18650 · Core · 18% automatable

Diagnose and resolve media system problems.

physical manipulation — Hands-on maintenance of recording/broadcast gear

Maintain recording or broadcasting equipment.

#3993 · Core · 30% automatable

Direct and coordinate activities of assistants and other personnel during production.

interpersonal — Coordinating production personnel is live supervisory work

Coordinate activities of production personnel.

#3990 · Core · 88% automatable

Compress, digitize, duplicate, and store audio and video data.

data analysis — Format conversion fully automatable

Convert data among multiple digital or analog formats. Maintain records, documents, or other files.

#18649 · Core · 25% automatable

Install, adjust, and operate electronic equipment to record, edit, and transmit radio and television programs, motion pictures, video conferencing, or multimedia presentations.

physical manipulation — Broadcast equipment operation is hands-on hardware work

Operate communications, transmissions, or broadcasting equipment.

#4002 · Core · 20% automatable

Control the lights and sound of events, such as live concerts, before and after performances, and during intermissions.

physical manipulation — Console operation requires live physical adjustment

Operate control consoles for sound, lighting or video.

#3987 · Core · 20% automatable

Switch sources of video input from one camera or studio to another, from film to live programming, or from network to local programming.

physical manipulation — Console operation requires live physical adjustment

Operate control consoles for sound, lighting or video.

#3997 · Core · 38% automatable

Record and edit audio material, such as movie soundtracks, using audio recording and editing equipment.

visual inspection — AI assists cuts; editorial and technical judgment human

Edit audio or video recordings. Operate audio recording equipment.

#3985 · Core · 18% automatable

Perform minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment.

physical manipulation — Hands-on maintenance of recording/broadcast gear

Maintain recording or broadcasting equipment.

#3984 · Core · 18% automatable

Design layouts of audio and video equipment and perform upgrades and maintenance.

physical manipulation — Hands-on maintenance of recording/broadcast gear

Maintain recording or broadcasting equipment.

#4003 · Core · 42% automatable

Conduct training sessions on selection, use, and design of audio-visual materials and on operation of presentation equipment.

interpersonal — Work-process coaching requires live human interaction

Train others on work processes.

#3981 · Supplemental · 30% automatable

Monitor incoming and outgoing pictures and sound feeds to ensure quality and notify directors of any possible problems.

visual inspection — Live broadcast monitoring needs real-time human oversight

Monitor broadcasting operations to ensure proper functioning.

#3982 · Supplemental · 35% automatable

Mix and regulate sound inputs and feeds or coordinate audio feeds with television pictures.

visual inspection — Sound mixing needs trained ear and real-time judgment

Mix sound inputs.

#3989 · Supplemental · 7% automatable

Construct and position properties, sets, lighting equipment, and other equipment.

physical manipulation — Crafting physical objects is manual artisan work

Construct distinctive physical objects for artistic, functional, or commercial purposes. Set up still or video cameras or related equipment.

#18651 · Supplemental · 45% automatable

Reserve audio-visual equipment and facilities, such as meeting rooms.

decision support — AI aids logistics planning; on-site event execution human

Coordinate logistics for productions or events.

#3996 · Supplemental · 62% automatable

Determine formats, approaches, content, levels, and mediums to effectively meet objectives within budgetary constraints, using research, knowledge, and training.

decision support — Technical requirements drafted; human owns spec

Determine technical requirements of productions or projects.

#3992 · Supplemental · 55% automatable

Edit videotapes by erasing and removing portions of programs and adding video or sound as required.

visual inspection — AI assists cuts; editorial and technical judgment human

Edit audio or video recordings.

#3991 · Supplemental · 6% automatable

Obtain, set up, and load videotapes for scheduled productions or broadcasts.

physical manipulation — Physical camera setup

Set up still or video cameras or related equipment.

#4000 · Supplemental · 45% automatable

Produce rough and finished graphics and graphic designs.

visual inspection — AI aids illustrations; precise technical drawing human

Draw detailed or technical illustrations.

#4001 · Supplemental · 45% automatable

Locate and secure settings, properties, effects, and other production necessities.

decision support — AI aids logistics planning; on-site event execution human

Coordinate logistics for productions or events.

#3988 · Supplemental · 55% automatable

Meet with directors and senior members of camera crews to discuss assignments and determine filming sequences, camera movements, and picture composition.

interpersonal — Technical detail negotiation is interactive human work

Collaborate with others to determine technical details of productions.

#3995 · Supplemental · 70% automatable

Maintain inventories of audio and videotapes and related supplies.

data analysis — Materials inventory records and forecasting automatable

Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.

#3999 · Supplemental · 55% automatable

Obtain and preview musical performance programs prior to events to become familiar with the order and approximate times of pieces.

data analysis — Score analysis possible but interpretive musical judgment human

Study details of musical compositions.

#4006 · Supplemental · 45% automatable

Perform narration of productions or present announcements.

interpersonal — Informing audiences is live presence and persuasion

Inform viewers, listeners, or audiences.

#3994 · Supplemental · 50% automatable

Plan and develop pre-production ideas into outlines, scripts, story boards, and graphics, using own ideas or specifications of assignments.

text generation — Creative drafting aided; artistic judgment human-owned

Write material for artistic or entertainment purposes.

#4004 · Supplemental · 84% automatable

Organize and maintain compliance, license, and warranty information related to audio and video facilities.

data analysis — Maintain files and records in structured systems

Compile technical information or documentation. Maintain records, documents, or other files.

#3998 · Supplemental · 57% automatable

Inform users of audio and videotaping service policies and procedures.

text generation — AI drafts policy communications; human approves

Communicate organizational policies and procedures. Provide technical information or assistance to public.

#18652 · Supplemental · 82% automatable

Analyze and maintain data logs for audio-visual activities.

data analysis — Maintain production activity logs from inputs

Maintain logs of production activities.

#4005 · Supplemental · 85% automatable

Develop manuals, texts, workbooks, or related materials for use in conjunction with production materials or for training.

text generation — Write informational material from brief

Write informational material.

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Community Sentiment

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Method

How this was scored

1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.

Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.

Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast

See the full method →

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