AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 27-4015.00

Will AI replace Lighting Technicians?

Lighting Technicians: AI can already handle 3 of 16 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Lighting Technicians, from most to least exposed. 3 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Assess safety of wiring or equipment set-up to determine the risk of fire or electrical shock. 65 Estimated Standard 3.0
Visit and assess structural and electrical layout of locations before setting up lighting equipment. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Consult with lighting director or production staff to determine lighting requirements. 60 Estimated Standard 3.0
Load, unload, or position lighting equipment. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Operate manual or automated systems to control lighting throughout productions. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Patch or wire lights to dimmers or other electronic consoles. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Program lighting consoles or load automated lighting control systems onto consoles. 55 Estimated Standard 3.0
Set up and focus light fixtures to meet requirements of television, theater, concerts, or other productions. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Set up scaffolding or cranes to assist with setting up of lighting equipment. 55 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Test lighting equipment function and desired lighting effects. 55 Estimated Standard 3.0
Match light fixture settings, such as brightness and color, to lighting design plans. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Install color effects or image patterns, such as color filters, onto lighting fixtures. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Install electrical cables or wire fixtures. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Notify supervisors when major lighting equipment repairs are needed. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Perform minor repairs or routine maintenance on lighting equipment, such as replacing lamps or damaged color filters. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Disassemble and store equipment after performances. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 16 of 16. 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 standard-tier model or lower covers 94% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 94% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 6% is hands-on.

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
8,900
Median annual wage
$68,060
Middle half of earners
$52,770 to $95,640
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-4.6%

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.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Lighting Technicians and AI

Will AI replace Lighting Technicians?

AI already handles 3 of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 45 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 -4.6% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Lighting Technicians?

45 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. 0 of the 16 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 16 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Lighting Technicians tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Assess safety of wiring or equipment set-up to determine the risk of fire or electrical shock; Visit and assess structural and electrical layout of locations before setting up lighting equipment; Consult with lighting director or production staff to determine lighting requirements. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 94% 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 Lighting Technicians, and what do they earn?

8,900 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $68,060 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -4.6% 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: Lighting Technicians. 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/lighting-technicians

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