Will exhibit designers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Exhibit designers score 38 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 65%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 7% outright, and 28% stays with people.
- 7% AI can do it
- 65% AI helps
- 28% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Higher 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 2 of them today, speeds up 17 and leaves 8 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Provide supportive materials for exhibits and displays, such as press kits, advertising, publicity notices, posters, brochures, catalogues, and invitations. Press kits, posters and invitations are routine writing and layout. | 68% AI can do it |
| Read scripts to determine location, set, and design requirements. Script summarizing and requirement extraction is well suited to LLMs. | 66% AI can do it |
| Research architectural and stylistic elements appropriate to the time period to be depicted, consulting experts for information, as necessary. Research is strong for LLMs; expert consultation remains human. | 58% AI helps |
| Estimate set- or exhibit-related costs, including materials, construction, and rental of props or locations. Spreadsheet estimates suit AI; vendor quotes need live input. | 55% AI helps |
| Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery, and properties to be constructed. CAD tools speed drafting; scale accuracy still needs designer checks. | 50% AI helps |
| Prepare preliminary renderings of proposed exhibits, including detailed construction, layout, and material specifications, and diagrams relating to aspects such as special effects or lighting. AI image tools help renderings; specs need expert verification. | 45% AI helps |
| Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations. Creative concept work; AI aids research and options, designer decides. | 40% AI helps |
| Assign staff to complete design ideas and prepare sketches, illustrations, and detailed drawings of sets, or graphics and animation. AI image tools can draft sketches; staff direction stays human. | 40% AI helps |
| Arrange for outside contractors to construct exhibit structures. Contractor outreach and scheduling is digital; oversight stays human. | 40% AI helps |
| Submit plans for approval, and adapt plans to serve intended purposes, or to conform to budget or fabrication restrictions. Plan revisions need budget and fabrication judgement from designer. | 35% AI helps |
Show the other 17 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Select set props, such as furniture, pictures, lamps, and rugs. AI can suggest and source options; final picks are aesthetic. | 35% AI helps |
| Design and produce displays and materials that can be used to decorate windows, interior displays, or event locations, such as streets and fairgrounds. AI helps sketch display designs; physical production needs makers. | 35% AI helps |
| Plan for location-specific issues, such as space limitations, traffic flow patterns, and safety concerns. Site visits and space checks need physical presence on location. | 30% AI helps |
| Select and purchase lumber and hardware necessary for set construction. Ordering is digital, but choosing lumber and hardware needs inspection. | 28% AI helps |
| Design and build scale models of set designs, or miniature sets used in filming backgrounds or special effects. Physical model building is hands on; software only assists design. | 25% AI helps |
| Acquire, or arrange for acquisition of, specimens or graphics required to complete exhibits. Graphics sourcing is digital; specimen acquisition is physical. | 25% AI helps |
| Confer with conservators to determine how to handle an exhibit's environmental aspects, such as lighting, temperature, and humidity, so that objects will be protected and exhibits will be enhanced. Conservator consultations are expert and in person; AI assists research. | 25% AI helps |
| Incorporate security systems into exhibit layouts. Security specialists must approve; AI helps draft layout options. | 25% AI helps |
| Confer with clients and staff to gather information about exhibit space, proposed themes and content, timelines, budgets, materials, or promotion requirements. Live conversations need people; AI can summarize notes. | 22% AI helps |
| Collaborate with those in charge of lighting and sound so that those production aspects can be coordinated with set designs or exhibit layouts. Coordinating live crew decisions relies on human collaboration. | 15% Needs a person |
| Coordinate the transportation of sets that are built off-site, and coordinate their setup at the site of use. Transport and setup logistics happen physically at the venue. | 15% Needs a person |
| Coordinate the removal of sets, props, and exhibits after productions or events are complete. Teardown is physical labor; AI can only help with scheduling. | 15% Needs a person |
| Attend rehearsals and production meetings to obtain and share information related to sets. Requires physical presence at rehearsals and in-person meetings. | 12% Needs a person |
| Observe sets during rehearsals in order to ensure that set elements do not interfere with performance aspects such as cast movement and camera angles. Watching live blocking and sightlines needs a person on set. | 10% Needs a person |
| Direct and coordinate construction, erection, or decoration activities to ensure that sets or exhibits meet design, budget, and schedule requirements. Supervising construction and decoration crews on site is physical. | 10% Needs a person |
| Examine objects to be included in exhibits to plan where and how to display them. Physical inspection of objects requires a person handling them. | 8% Needs a person |
| Inspect installed exhibits for conformance to specifications and satisfactory operation of special-effects components. On-site inspection of installed exhibits needs a human. | 8% Needs a person |
How exhibit designers compare
All occupations (923)
Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media (40)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $75,240 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 10,630 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +1.4% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Draft scale working drawings in Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD
- Build set and exhibit cost estimates in Microsoft Excel
- Check AI-drafted renderings against material specifications in Adobe Illustrator
- Attend rehearsals to check sightlines and camera angles
- Consult period experts on architectural styles for research
- Inspect installed exhibits against specifications on site
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about exhibit designers and AI
Will AI replace exhibit designers?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing press kits and posters and reading scripts to pull out set requirements. What stays with people is on-site work like inspecting installed exhibits, watching rehearsals, and coordinating live lighting and sound crews.
Which exhibit designer tasks will AI take over?
Press kits, posters, brochures, and invitations carry the highest exposure score at 68, because they are routine writing and layout that AI tools produce quickly. Script reading ranks close behind at 66, since summarizing a script and listing location and set requirements suits LLMs well.
Which exhibit designer tasks stay human?
Examining objects for display, inspecting installed exhibits, and observing rehearsals score lowest, at exposure scores of 8 to 10. Each needs a person physically handling objects, walking an installed set, or watching cast movement and camera angles live.
How can exhibit designers stay valuable as AI spreads?
Use AI for the drafting and writing, and keep the measured and physical work. Draft scale working drawings in AutoCAD or Revit and check every dimension manually. Verify AI renderings against material specs, then attend rehearsals and install sites in person.
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