Will ushers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Ushers score 24 of 100 for AI exposure. 80% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 3% today and speed up another 17%.
- 3% AI can do it
- 17% AI helps
- 80% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 73% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 23 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 5 and leaves 17 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Count and record number of tickets collected. Counting and recording tickets is routine data work scanners largely handle. | 70% AI can do it |
| Schedule or manage staff, such as volunteer usher corps. Scheduling and staff planning suit software and AI drafting. | 50% AI helps |
| Assist patrons by giving directions to points in or outside of the facility or providing information about local attractions. Directions and local info can be answered by an AI assistant or app. | 40% AI helps |
| Manage inventory or sale of artist merchandise. Inventory tracking can be software assisted, but in-person sales stay manual. | 35% AI helps |
| Lead tours and answer visitors' questions about the exhibits. Tour leading is physical, though AI can answer exhibit questions. | 30% AI helps |
| Manage informational kiosks or displays of event signs or posters. AI can draft sign content, but setting up displays is physical. | 25% AI helps |
| Examine tickets or passes to verify authenticity, using criteria such as color or date issued. Visual ticket checks are manual, though scanners flag some fakes. | 18% Needs a person |
| Sell or collect admission tickets, passes, or facility memberships from patrons at entertainment events. Gate collection is physical, though scanners handle some checks. | 15% Needs a person |
| Settle seating disputes or help solve other customer concerns. Live disputes need empathy, judgement and people skills on site. | 15% Needs a person |
| Page individuals wanted at the box office. Paging is a spoken announcement that automated systems could handle. | 15% Needs a person |
Show the other 13 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Search for lost articles or for parents of lost children. Searching is physical, though AI can help log lost items. | 12% Needs a person |
| Verify credentials of patrons desiring entrance into press box and permit only authorized persons to enter. Checking press credentials needs in-person verification and authority to refuse. | 12% Needs a person |
| Refuse admittance to undesirable persons or persons without tickets or passes. Refusing entry is a confrontational, accountable judgement call. | 10% Needs a person |
| Guide patrons to exits or provide other instructions or assistance in case of emergency. Emergency guidance requires live physical presence and quick judgement. | 8% Needs a person |
| Assist patrons in finding seats, lighting the way with flashlights, if necessary. Physically leading patrons to seats in dim light. | 8% Needs a person |
| Maintain order and ensure adherence to safety rules. Maintaining order needs live physical presence and enforcement authority. | 8% Needs a person |
| Greet patrons attending entertainment events. Greeting needs physical presence and face to face warmth. | 5% Needs a person |
| Provide assistance with patrons' special needs, such as helping those with wheelchairs. Physical assistance for wheelchair users and special needs. | 5% Needs a person |
| Operate refreshment stands during intermission or obtain refreshments for press box patrons during performances. Running a refreshment stand is hands-on physical work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Give door checks to patrons who are temporarily leaving establishments. Handing out door checks is a quick physical task. | 5% Needs a person |
| Distribute programs to patrons. Handing out printed programs is simple physical work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Work with others to change advertising displays. Changing displays is physical work done alongside coworkers. | 4% Needs a person |
| Clean facilities. Physical cleaning work with no meaningful AI help. | 2% Needs a person |
How ushers compare
All occupations (923)
Personal care and service (31)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $32,910 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 121,770 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +0.9% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Run ticket scanning software and fix scan failures at entry
- Assist wheelchair users and patrons with special needs
- Track artist merchandise inventory in Microsoft Excel
- Schedule volunteer usher corps shifts in Microsoft Outlook
- Operate refreshment stands during intermission service
Safer roles nearby
2 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about ushers and AI
Will AI replace ushers?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly counting and recording tickets and scheduling staff. Greeting patrons, seating help and physical assistance stay with people because they need a person physically present at the venue.
Which tasks is AI taking over from ushers?
Counting and recording tickets is the most exposed task, with an exposure score of 70, since ticket scanning software largely handles it. Scheduling and managing staff, including volunteer usher corps, scores 50 because software and AI can draft the rosters.
Which usher tasks stay with people?
Cleaning facilities, distributing programs and greeting patrons all score 5 or lower on exposure, which is near zero. Physical work like helping wheelchair users and running refreshment stands needs a person on site, so these tasks stay human.
How can ushers stay valuable at events?
Learn the ticket scanning software well enough to fix scan failures at the door. Get trained in wheelchair and special-needs assistance, since that work stays physical. Use Microsoft Excel to track merchandise stock and volunteer shifts, and lead the floor during busy intermissions.
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Next steps for ushers
Check which roles in your team AI can take on
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