Speech recognition can now turn hours of audio into text in minutes, which makes court reporters and captioners ask whether a verbatim record still needs a person. The official outlook splits the answer between the courtroom and the caption.
The short answer: AI is not expected to replace court reporters soon, but it is putting pressure on parts of the field. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in employment for court reporters and simultaneous captioners from 2025 to 2035. It says court reporters will continue to be needed to create detailed, accurate records of legal proceedings, while transcription generated by AI tools is expected to dampen demand for simultaneous captioners. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed transcription work is
The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO category | Mean task score (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Typists and Word Processing Operators | Gradient 4 (highest) | 0.65 |
| Translators, Interpreters and Other Linguists | Gradient 3 | 0.59 |
| Legal and Related Associate Professionals | Gradient 1 | 0.39 |
The ILO index does not list court reporters separately. Turning speech into text sits close to the most exposed typing work, while the legal setting around it scores lower.
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Court reporters and simultaneous captioners | Little or no change (0%) | About 1,800 |
The BLS expects captioner demand to be driven by television programming and by communication access real-time translation (CART), set against the dampening effect of AI transcription.
Tasks AI transcription is taking on
- First-draft transcripts from recordings.
- Live captions for routine broadcasts and meetings.
- Time stamps and searchable text.
- Speaker labels on clear recordings.
What stays with the court reporter
- An accurate record: the transcript may be relied on in a case, and someone has to stand behind it.
- Checking: speech recognition can mishear names, accents, crosstalk and technical terms, and generative AI can produce confident errors, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.
- Clarifying in the room: asking speakers to repeat inaudible testimony and noting who spoke, gestures and actions.
- Read-back and certification: reading portions back on request and providing transcripts to the parties.
- Access: real-time transcription for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, where errors directly affect understanding.
How the job is changing
Routine captioning is under the most pressure, while legal records keep a stronger need for a responsible person. Reporters who can edit and certify machine drafts, and who specialize in demanding settings, are better placed. Whether a recording or AI transcript is acceptable in a given court depends on that court's rules; this page is not legal advice.
See also will AI replace paralegals?, will AI replace translators?, will AI replace data entry? and will AI take my job?
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for court reporters at $72,420 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: postsecondary nondegree award. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace court reporters?
Not soon on current evidence. The BLS projects little or no change for court reporters and simultaneous captioners from 2025 to 2035 and says court reporters will continue to be needed for accurate records of legal proceedings.
Will AI replace captioners?
It is putting pressure on them. The BLS says transcription generated by AI tools is expected to dampen employment demand for simultaneous captioners.
How many court reporter openings are expected?
The BLS projects about 1,800 openings a year for court reporters and simultaneous captioners.
What court reporting work stays human?
Standing behind an accurate record, checking and correcting transcripts, clarifying testimony in the room, read-back and certification, and real-time access work.