Will AI replace regulatory affairs managers?

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

42% of the work still needs a person.

Needs a person: 42%A person checking AI: 28%AI alone: 30%

The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 46 to 58%. 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.

25 responsibilities in a typical regulatory affairs manager job. Median pay $141,900 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Represent the company to regulators on key issues
  • Explain regulatory updates across departments AI helps
  • Plan how to get new products approved AI helps
  • Set regulatory priorities and budgets AI helps
  • Direct submissions to regulatory agencies AI helps
  • Answer teams' regulatory questions AI helps

AI can do or help with

  • Explain regulatory updates across departments AI helps
  • Answer teams' regulatory questions AI helps
  • Track changes to relevant regulations AI helps
  • Plan how to get new products approved AI helps
  • Check submission packets before they go out AI helps
  • Direct submissions to regulatory agencies 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 25, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace regulatory affairs managers?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 58% of the working time in a typical regulatory affairs manager job today. The other 42% 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: explain regulatory updates across departments, answer teams' regulatory questions, track changes to relevant regulations, plan how to get new products approved, check submission packets before they go out, direct submissions to regulatory agencies.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: represent the company to regulators on key issues, explain regulatory updates across departments, plan how to get new products approved, set regulatory priorities and budgets, direct submissions to regulatory agencies, answer teams' regulatory questions.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 27 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0), and the split covers the 25 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 46 to 58%. 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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