Jobs · Producer or director

Will AI replace producers or directors?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 42% of the working time in a typical producer or director job today. The other 58% still needs a person.

28 responsibilities · a typical producer or director job

58% of the work still needs a person.

Still needs a person: 58% of the timeAI could take on: 42%

Evidence range: 28 to 42%. It runs between what has been measured or rated for each responsibility and our figure, which also follows industry-wide research.

Median pay $90,360 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Direct actors through each scene
  • Direct the live shoot or broadcast
  • Set the pacing of scenes
  • Negotiate deals with distributors
  • Settle disputes between production staff
  • Hire department heads and principal cast

AI can do or help with

  • Plan each shot's framing and movement AI helps
  • Research topics for a production AI can do it
  • Check footage against broadcast standards AI helps
  • Handle budgeting, scheduling and planning AI helps
  • Study scripts to plan the direction AI helps
  • Draft scripts and story outlines AI helps

The biggest responsibilities of each kind. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces. See all 28, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace producers or directors?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 42% of the working time in a typical producer or director job today. The other 58% 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: plan each shot's framing and movement, research topics for a production, check footage against broadcast standards, handle budgeting, scheduling and planning, study scripts to plan the direction, draft scripts and story outlines.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: direct actors through each scene, direct the live shoot or broadcast, set the pacing of scenes, negotiate deals with distributors, settle disputes between production staff, hire department heads and principal cast.

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 28 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 is 28 to 42%. It runs between what has been measured or rated for each responsibility and our figure, which also follows industry-wide research. Scores version 0.6.1, updated October 1, 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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