Will AI replace video editors?
Updated
Video editors score 49 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 73%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 14% outright, and 13% stays with people.
- 14% AI can do it
- 73% AI helps
- 13% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Higher than 72% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 22 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 15 and leaves 4 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Verify key numbers and time codes on materials. Timecode and metadata checks are routine and easily scripted. | 75% AI can do it |
| Mark frames where a particular shot or piece of sound is to begin or end. Shot boundary detection and marking is largely automated now. | 70% AI can do it |
| Study scripts to become familiar with production concepts and requirements. AI summarizes scripts quickly; editor reviews key production concepts. | 60% AI can do it |
| Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product. AI transcription and search speed up footage review considerably. | 55% AI helps |
| Program computerized graphic effects. AI code and effect generation speed up graphic programming considerably. | 55% AI helps |
| Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers. Rough assembly from logs and transcripts is increasingly automatable. | 50% AI helps |
| Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect. Trimming to length is scriptable; sequencing choices stay with editor. | 50% AI helps |
| Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment. AI tools assist sound insertion and error detection; editor still leads. | 45% AI helps |
| Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary. Automated QC flags defects; human judges artistic corrections. | 45% AI helps |
| Piece sounds together to develop film soundtracks. AI cleans and separates audio, but mixing choices remain creative. | 45% AI helps |
Show the other 12 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Develop post-production models for films. AI drafts workflows and schedules; planning needs human approval. | 45% AI helps |
| Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to produce a final product. Software operation partly automated; hardware setup needs hands-on work. | 40% AI helps |
| Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story. Shot selection is creative judgement; AI suggests but editor decides. | 35% AI helps |
| Record needed sounds or obtain them from sound effects libraries. Library search and AI sound generation help; live recording needs people. | 35% AI helps |
| Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible. Cut timing is craft judgement; AI assists with suggestions only. | 30% AI helps |
| Determine the specific audio and visual effects and music necessary to complete films. Creative needs assessment; AI can suggest options from spotting notes. | 30% AI helps |
| Collaborate with music editors to select appropriate passages of music and develop production scores. Music search uses AI tools, but collaboration stays human-led. | 30% AI helps |
| Manipulate plot, score, sound, and graphics to make the parts into a continuous whole, working closely with people in audio, visual, music, optical, or special effects departments. Cross-department collaboration and creative integration need human leadership. | 25% AI helps |
| Supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in film editing, assembling, and recording activities. Supervising people and coordinating crews is inherently human work. | 15% Needs a person |
| Discuss the sound requirements of pictures with sound effects editors. Discussion with sound team is live collaboration; AI helps little. | 15% Needs a person |
| Confer with producers and directors concerning layout or editing approaches needed to increase dramatic or entertainment value of productions. Live creative discussions with producers and directors remain human-led. | 15% Needs a person |
| Conduct film screenings for directors and members of production staffs. Live screenings and presenting to directors require in-person presence. | 10% Needs a person |
How video editors compare
All occupations (923)
Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media (40)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $75,420 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 25,610 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +3.7% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Write JavaScript expressions for motion graphics in After Effects
- Prepare title and graphic assets in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
- Verify timecodes and metadata against the shot log
- Make final cut timing calls on dramatic scenes
- Synchronize soundtracks with picture and brief sound effects editors
- Supervise editing and assembly crews through final delivery
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about video editors and AI
Will video editing be replaced by AI?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly timecode and metadata checks and marking shot boundaries. Creative judgement, live work with directors and producers, and crew supervision stay with people.
Will AI take over video editing?
AI can already do 14% of the task time in video editing and speeds up another 73%. People still do 13% of it. The US has 25,610 video editor jobs, with a projected change of +3.7% from 2024 to 2034.
Which tasks is AI taking from video editors?
Timecode and metadata checks, with an exposure score of 75, and marking shot boundaries, at 70, are the tasks AI takes over first. Both are routine and rule-based, so software can scan logs and flag frames without an editor. Script study at 60 follows, since AI summarizes scripts quickly.
Which tasks stay human for video editors?
Live screenings for directors, supervising editing crews, and layout talks with producers stay with people. Screenings need in-person presence, crew supervision is inherently human work, and editing approaches remain human-led in discussions with directors and producers.
How can video editors stay valuable?
Take responsibility for cut timing and the creative calls, and hand rough assembly from logs and transcripts to AI. Build graphic effects in Adobe After Effects with JavaScript expressions, and check every AI timecode and metadata output before export. Lead review sessions with producers and directors, where the edit approach gets settled.
Related jobs
Next steps for video editors
Check which roles in your team AI can take on
We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first.
Related topics
- Jobs AI can't replaceCement masons score lowest, at 8.
- Jobs most at risk from AIProofreaders score highest, at 76.
- High-paying jobs with low AI exposureRadiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.
- Entry-level jobs with low AI exposureCement masons need little prior training and score 8.
- Jobs AI speeds up the mostFor natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.
- AI and jobs in Malta15 iGaming roles graded task by task.
- Skills that keep work humanThe skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.
- Jobs A to ZEvery job we publish, by first letter.
- AI exposure by industryAverage scores for 22 occupation groups.
- Write a CV screening software can readHow applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.
- AI for businessesThe tasks to automate first in each team and industry.
- How we score AI exposureThe grading, the weights and every source.