Will AI replace photographic process workers and processing machine operators?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 10m of a typical shift is made up of tasks that AI or robots have done on their own in real use somewhere. That doesn't mean those hours are automated in a typical workplace. The breakdown: 7m that AI mostly does alone, 2h 3m that robots have done in real workplaces. The other 5h 50m (73%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 5.6% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 27 tasks, about 7m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Examine drawings, negatives, or photographic prints to determine coloring, shading, accenting, or other changes required for retouching or restoration. (7m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 4 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 2h 3m of a typical shift. 15 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols. (1h 2m a shift; e.g. Kodak Moments self-service photo kiosks / APEX dry lab, in use)
• Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures. (27m a shift; e.g. Kodak Moments Kiosk / Self-Service Print Station (SPS), in use)
• Set or adjust machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, or material requirements. (27m a shift; e.g. HP Latex 820/850 with HP Embedded Spectrophotometer (Closed-Loop Color Calibration), in use)
• Reprint originals for enlargement or in sections to be pieced together. (7m a shift; e.g. KODAK Picture Kiosk G20 (Kodak Moments kiosk with print scanner and 6850/8810 printers), in use)

5h 50m of a typical shift, or 73%, 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:

• Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software. (55m a shift)
• Review computer-processed digital images for quality. (34m a shift)
• Operate scanners or related computer equipment to digitize negatives, photographic prints, or other images. (27m a shift)
• Load digital images onto computers directly from cameras or from storage devices, such as flash memory cards or universal serial bus (USB) devices. (27m a shift)
• Examine developed prints for defects, such as broken lines, spots, or blurs. (21m 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:

• 88% talk face to face with others every day
• 74% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 61% spend more than half the day on their feet

On Indeed, job postings in the Production & Manufacturing sector are at 124% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 12.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 600 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 $40,610 a year ($19.52 an hour), 20% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $30,090 and $68,800 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 a decline of 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 5,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 600 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 4,800 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 730th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 5,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 84% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. 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: Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Service Orientation
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 50m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

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:

• Adjust digital images using software.

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. 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:

• Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers (19m touched, $53k median pay)
• Office Machine Operators (1h 22m touched, $41k median pay)
• Etchers and Engravers (14m touched, $43k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 5 with robots in real deployments, 21 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.