Will AI replace journalism?
Updated
Journalists score 55 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 67%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 6% outright, and 27% stays with people.
- 6% AI can do it
- 67% AI helps
- 27% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 85% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 30 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 20 and leaves 8 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Review written, audio, or video copy, and correct errors in content, grammar, or punctuation, following prescribed editorial style and formatting guidelines. Copyediting for grammar and style is highly automatable today. | 78% AI can do it |
| Review and evaluate notes taken about news events to isolate pertinent facts and details. AI transcribes and extracts key facts from notes quickly. | 66% AI helps |
| Write online blog entries that address news developments or offer additional information, opinions, or commentary on news events. AI drafts news blog posts well; editor reviews accuracy and tone. | 64% AI can do it |
| Research a story's background information to provide complete and accurate information. AI research tools speed background work; verification stays human. | 62% AI helps |
| Revise work to meet editorial approval or to fit time or space requirements. AI can trim and reformat to length; approval stays editorial. | 60% AI helps |
| Check reference materials, such as books, news files, or public records, to obtain relevant facts. AI search speeds fact-checking; some records need physical retrieval. | 60% AI helps |
| Analyze and interpret news and information received from various sources to broadcast the information. AI summarizes and interprets multi-source news quickly; human checks. | 58% AI helps |
| Select material most pertinent to presentation, and organize this material into appropriate formats. AI can sort and structure material fast; editor reviews choices. | 56% AI helps |
| Write commentaries, columns, or scripts, using computers. AI drafts commentary well; writer is responsible for voice and opinion. | 55% AI helps |
| Communicate with readers, viewers, advertisers, or the general public via mail, email, or telephone. AI can draft routine replies; human handles sensitive contacts. | 55% AI helps |
Show the other 20 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Examine news items of local, national, and international significance to determine topics to address, or obtain assignments from editorial staff members. AI can scan and rank news items; editors still choose. | 50% AI helps |
| Write columns, editorials, commentaries, or reviews that interpret events or offer opinions. AI drafts opinion pieces; the personal stance stays with writer. | 50% AI helps |
| Report news stories for publication or broadcast, describing the background and details of events. AI drafts reports from notes; reporting in the field is human. | 47% AI helps |
| Develop ideas or material for columns or commentaries by analyzing and interpreting news, current issues, or personal experiences. AI helps ideate; lived experience and opinion remain human. | 45% AI helps |
| Determine a published or broadcasted story's emphasis, length, and format, organizing material accordingly. Story emphasis and length are editorial calls; AI suggests options. | 42% AI helps |
| Report on specialized fields such as medicine, green technology, environmental issues, science, politics, sports, arts, consumer affairs, business, religion, crime, or education. Specialist beats need deep sourcing; AI aids research and drafting. | 40% AI helps |
| Receive assignments or evaluate leads or tips to develop story ideas. Tip triage is partly automatable; vetting leads needs judgement. | 35% AI helps |
| Arrange interviews with people who can provide information about a story. Outreach and scheduling drafted by AI; relationships remain personal. | 35% AI helps |
| Gather information and develop perspectives about news subjects through research, interviews, observation, and experience. Field interviews and observation are human; desk research is not. | 30% AI helps |
| Take pictures or video, and process them for inclusion in a story. AI helps edit and caption media; capturing images is hands-on. | 30% AI helps |
| Transmit news stories or reporting information from remote locations, using equipment such as satellite phones, telephones, fax machines, or modems. Transmission tools are standard; remote filing is mostly routine. | 25% AI helps |
| Assign stories to other reporters or duties to production staff. Staff assignments involve management judgement and people decisions. | 22% AI helps |
| Present live or recorded commentary via broadcast media. Live commentary needs a human voice and on-air credibility. | 20% Needs a person |
| Investigate breaking news developments, such as disasters, crimes, or human-interest stories. Breaking news needs on-scene presence and fast human judgement. | 18% Needs a person |
| Discuss issues with editors to establish priorities or positions. Editorial priority debates are live human conversations and negotiation. | 15% Needs a person |
| Present news stories, and introduce in-depth videotaped segments or live transmissions from on-the-scene reporters. On-camera presenting and live handoffs require a human presence. | 14% Needs a person |
| Coordinate and serve as an anchor on news broadcast programs. On-air anchoring needs live presence and real-time judgement. | 12% Needs a person |
| Conduct taped or filmed interviews or narratives. Live interviews rely on human rapport, follow-up and presence. | 12% Needs a person |
| Photograph or videotape news events. Capturing events on camera is physical, on-location work. | 10% Needs a person |
| Establish and maintain relationships with individuals who are credible sources of information. Trust-based source relationships depend on human rapport and credibility. | 8% Needs a person |
How journalists compare
All occupations (923)
Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media (40)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $62,200 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 39,250 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- -5.9% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Verify sources against public records and court filings
- Conduct recorded interviews with live follow-up questions
- Lay out print pages and stories in Adobe InDesign
- Build data stories in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
- Negotiate story priorities with editors in live meetings
- Shoot on-location video and edit in Adobe After Effects
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about journalists and AI
Will journalism be replaced by AI?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly copyediting and sorting notes for facts. Source relationships, live interviews and on-location reporting stay with people because they depend on trust and presence in the room.
Will AI take over journalism?
AI can already do 6% of the task time in journalism and speeds up another 67%. People still do 27% of it. The US has 39,250 journalist jobs, with a projected change of -5.9% from 2024 to 2034.
Which journalist tasks is AI taking over?
Copyediting for grammar and style scores 78 on exposure, the highest of any task in this job, so AI can correct errors and apply house style faster than an editor. Drafting online blog posts scores 64, and AI can produce a first version that an editor then checks for accuracy and tone.
Which journalist tasks stay human?
Establishing source relationships scores 8 on exposure, the lowest in this job, because trust and rapport build over years of contact. Conducting taped interviews scores 12, since follow-up questions depend on reading the person across from you in real time.
How can journalists stay valuable as AI spreads?
Verify every AI-drafted fact against public records, court filings and physical archives, since that check stays with reporters. Keep named sources warm through regular calls and in-person meetings. Build field video skills in Adobe After Effects, and use Microsoft Excel to turn records into data stories.
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Next steps for journalists
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