Will AI replace sound engineering technicians?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.1% fewer 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.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 2 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, 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:

• Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment. (1h 15m a shift)
• Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage. (1h 15m a shift)
• Set up, test, and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances. (50m a shift)
• Mix and edit voices, music, and taped sound effects for live performances and for prerecorded events, using sound mixing boards. (50m a shift)
• Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film. (44m 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:

• 84% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 67% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 57% talk face to face with others every day

On Indeed, job postings in the Media & Communications sector are at 69% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 6.8% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 1,000 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 $73,130 a year ($35.16 an hour), 43% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $37,570 and $137,370 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 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 15,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 1,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 13,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 621st largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 15,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 32% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate'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: Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Apple macOS

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:

• Audio and Video Technicians (6m touched, $58k median pay)
• Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers (0m touched, $53k median pay)
• Broadcast Technicians (12m touched, $60k median pay)
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (19m touched, $78k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 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.