AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 27-3041.00
Will AI replace Editors?
Editors: AI can already handle 17 of 21 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 21 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Editors, from most to least exposed. 17 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write text, such as stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal. | Observed | Standard | |
| Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax. | Observed | Standard | |
| Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication. | Observed | Standard | |
| Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Monitor news-gathering operations to ensure utilization of all news sources, such as press releases, telephone contacts, radio, television, wire services, and other reporters. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Allocate print space for story text, photos, and illustrations according to space parameters and copy significance, using knowledge of layout principles. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Direct the policies and departments of newspapers, magazines and other publishing establishments. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Assign topics, events and stories to individual writers or reporters for coverage. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Meet frequently with artists, typesetters, layout personnel, marketing directors, and production managers to discuss projects and resolve problems. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Arrange for copyright permissions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Read material to determine index items and arrange them alphabetically or topically, indicating page or chapter location. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Review and approve proofs submitted by composing room prior to publication production. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Select local, state, national, and international news items received from wire services, based on assessment of items' significance and interest value. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Make manuscript acceptance or revision recommendations to the publisher. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Plan the contents of publications according to the publication's style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Interview and hire writers and reporters or negotiate contracts, royalties, and payments for authors or freelancers. | Estimated | Standard |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 6 of 21 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 15 of 21. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 91,690
- Median annual wage
- $77,920
- Middle half of earners
- $57,300 to $106,100
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +0.6%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Film and Video Editors 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure41
- Proofreaders and Copy Markers 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure73
- Writers and Authors 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure72
- News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure72
- Desktop Publishers 58% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure66
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Editors and AI
Will AI replace Editors?
AI already handles 17 of the 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 75 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +0.6% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Editors?
75 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 6 of the 21 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 15 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Editors tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Write text, such as stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters; Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal; Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work. They are three of the 17 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Editors, and what do they earn?
91,690 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $77,920 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +0.6% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Editors. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/editors
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