Will AI replace media technical directors/managers?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 31m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 7h 29m (94%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 4% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 31m of a typical shift. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Operate equipment to produce programs or broadcast live programs from remote locations. (31m a shift; e.g. Vislink vPilot studio, in use)

7h 29m of a typical shift, or 94%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Direct technical aspects of newscasts and other productions, checking and switching between video sources and taking responsibility for the on-air product, including camera shots and graphics. (1h 40m a shift)
• Switch between video sources in a studio or on multi-camera remotes, using equipment such as switchers, video slide projectors, and video effects generators. (1h 2m a shift)
• Set up and execute video transitions and special effects, such as fades, dissolves, cuts, keys, and supers, using computers to manipulate pictures as necessary. (50m a shift)
• Supervise and assign duties to workers engaged in technical control and production of radio and television programs. (37m a shift)
• Follow instructions from production managers and directors during productions, such as commands for camera cuts, effects, graphics, and takes. (37m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 94% are in constant contact with other people
• 79% talk face to face with others every day
• 74% work at arm's length or closer to other people

On Indeed, job postings in the Arts & Entertainment sector are at 87% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 12.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 12,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $90,360 a year ($43.44 an hour), 77% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $45,780 and $198,540 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 188,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 12,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 143,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.09% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 223rd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 188,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 92% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 4 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: bachelor's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Coordination, Monitoring, Persuasion, Time Management
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 29m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Office software, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Atlassian JIRA, C

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Coordinate the use of drone technology for aerial filming and photography.

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Producers and Directors (1h 40m touched, $90k median pay)
• Media Programming Directors (11m touched, $90k median pay)
• Film and Video Editors (2h 18m touched, $75k median pay)
• Art Directors (1h 29m touched, $115k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 14 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.