Will AI replace journalists?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 53% of the working time in a typical journalist job today. The other 47% still needs a person.

47% of the work still needs a person.

Needs a person: 47%A person checking AI: 23%AI alone: 30%

The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 37 to 53%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry.

26 responsibilities in a typical journalist job. Median pay $62,200 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Build and keep trusted sources
  • Cover breaking news on the scene
  • Give commentary on air
  • Conduct recorded interviews
  • Gather facts through research and interviews AI helps
  • Agree on priorities with editors

AI can do or help with

  • Gather facts through research and interviews AI helps
  • Write news stories for print or broadcast AI helps
  • Research background for a story AI helps
  • Line up interviews with sources AI helps
  • Analyze news from many sources AI helps
  • Cover a beat like science or business AI helps

The biggest responsibilities on each side, ranked by a person's time on the left. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces, so one can show on both sides. See all 26, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace journalists?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 53% of the working time in a typical journalist job today. The other 47% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.

Which parts of the job can AI do?

The biggest ones AI can do or help with: gather facts through research and interviews, write news stories for print or broadcast, research background for a story, line up interviews with sources, analyze news from many sources, cover a beat like science or business.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: build and keep trusted sources, cover breaking news on the scene, give commentary on air, conduct recorded interviews, gather facts through research and interviews, agree on priorities with editors.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 30 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0), and the split covers the 26 people in it do today. Each is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. The evidence range for the share AI could take on is 37 to 53%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry. Scores version 0.7.17, updated October 28, 2026.

Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.

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