Will coaches be replaced by AI?
Updated
Coaches score 37 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 71%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 9% outright, and 20% stays with people.
- 9% AI can do it
- 71% AI helps
- 20% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Lower than 50% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 27 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 19 and leaves 5 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Keep and review paper, computerized, and video records of athlete, team, and opposing team performance. Stat tracking and video tagging are well suited to AI tools. | 70% AI can do it |
| Monitor the academic eligibility of student athletes. Grade and eligibility checks against rules suit software and AI. | 65% AI can do it |
| Develop and arrange competition schedules and programs. Scheduling software and AI can build calendars; coach approves conflicts. | 62% AI can do it |
| File scouting reports that detail player assessments, provide recommendations on athlete recruitment, and identify locations and individuals to be targeted for future recruitment efforts. AI drafts scouting reports from notes; live evaluation stays essential. | 58% AI helps |
| Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of opposing teams to develop game strategies. AI scans opponent video and stats; coach judges what matters. | 55% AI helps |
| Keep abreast of changing rules, techniques, technologies, and philosophies relevant to their sport. AI summarizes rule and trend changes; coach decides what applies. | 55% AI helps |
| Contact the parents of players to provide information and answer questions. AI drafts parent emails and FAQs; live talks stay human. | 50% AI helps |
| Evaluate athletes' skills and review performance records to determine their fitness and potential in a particular area of athletics. AI can review performance records; skill judgement needs watching athletes. | 45% AI helps |
| Identify and recruit potential athletes by sending recruitment letters, meeting with recruits, and arranging and offering incentives, such as athletic scholarships. AI drafts recruiting letters; meetings and scholarship offers stay human. | 45% AI helps |
| Teach instructional courses and advise students. AI builds course materials and advising drafts; teaching stays human. | 45% AI helps |
Show the other 17 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Oversee the development and management of the sports program budget and fundraising activities. AI handles budget sheets and forecasts; donor relationships stay human. | 45% AI helps |
| Plan strategies and choose team members for individual games or sports seasons. AI models lineup options from data; coach makes final picks. | 40% AI helps |
| Coordinate travel arrangements and travel with team to away contests. AI handles booking and itineraries; chaperoning the team stays human. | 40% AI helps |
| Plan and direct physical conditioning programs that will enable athletes to achieve maximum performance. AI can design conditioning programs; directing athletes' training is physical. | 40% AI helps |
| Provide training direction, encouragement, motivation, and nutritional advice to prepare athletes for games, competitive events, or tours. AI drafts nutrition and training plans; motivation stays human. | 35% AI helps |
| Instruct individuals or groups in sports rules, game strategies, and performance principles, such as specific ways of moving the body, hands, or feet, to achieve desired results. AI explains rules and tactics; coach must demonstrate physical technique. | 35% AI helps |
| Perform activities that support a team or a specific sport, such as participating in community outreach activities, meeting with media representatives, and appearing at fundraising events. AI drafts press and sponsor copy; appearances need people present. | 35% AI helps |
| Select, acquire, store, and issue equipment and other materials as necessary. AI handles ordering and inventory logs; issuing gear is physical. | 35% AI helps |
| Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions. AI drafts practice plans; coach runs sessions on the field. | 30% AI helps |
| Arrange and conduct sports-related activities, such as training camps, skill-improvement courses, clinics, and pre-season try-outs. AI helps plan logistics; running camps is hands on work. | 25% AI helps |
| Adjust coaching techniques, based on the strengths and weaknesses of athletes. Needs live observation of each athlete's body and mindset. | 20% AI helps |
| Hire, supervise, and work with extended coaching staff. Hiring and supervising staff depends mostly on people skills. | 20% AI helps |
| Counsel student athletes on academic, athletic, and personal issues. Personal counseling needs human trust; AI helps only with planning. | 15% Needs a person |
| Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations. AI drafts safety rules; enforcing them on site stays human. | 15% Needs a person |
| Monitor athletes' use of equipment to ensure safe and proper use. Checking equipment use means watching athletes in person. | 10% Needs a person |
| Explain and demonstrate the use of sports and training equipment, such as trampolines or weights. Demonstrating equipment use is physical and done in person. | 10% Needs a person |
| Serve as organizer, leader, instructor, or referee for outdoor and indoor games, such as volleyball, football, and soccer. Refereeing and leading live games is physical and real time. | 8% Needs a person |
How coaches compare
All occupations (923)
Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media (40)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $47,320 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 248,950 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +6.1% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Demonstrate techniques and equipment use in person at practice
- Adjust drills after live observation of each athlete's technique
- Enforce on-site safety rules during training and competition
- Build opponent game plans from video and stats in PowerPoint
- Check AI-drafted scouting reports against live athlete evaluation
- Counsel student athletes on academic and personal issues
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about coaches and AI
Will AI replace coaches?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours for a coach go to tasks AI can already do, mostly keeping performance records and building competition schedules. Work that stays with people includes leading live games and counseling athletes, since both need a person present on the field or in the room.
Which coaching tasks is AI taking over?
Performance record keeping and eligibility checks are the most exposed, with exposure scores of 70 and 65. AI tags stats and video and checks grades against league rules, so those hours shrink first. Scheduling, at an exposure score of 62, follows, with software building calendars for the coach to approve.
Which coaching tasks stay with humans?
Serving as referee for live games and explaining equipment use both score 8 and 10 on exposure. Live games are physical and happen in real time, and equipment use is shown to athletes in person. Counseling athletes scores 15 because trust between coach and athlete needs a human.
How can coaches stay valuable as AI spreads?
Put your hours into in-person work such as demonstrating technique, watching each athlete move, and enforcing safety on site. Let AI draft scouting reports and tag video, then check those outputs yourself in Microsoft Word and Excel. Spend the time saved on game-day decisions and athlete counseling.
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Next steps for coaches
Check which roles in your team AI can take on
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