AI can now draft a news summary, a sports recap or an earnings brief in seconds, so journalists and reporters reasonably ask where that leaves them. The ILO data shows journalism is one of the more exposed occupations. The US outlook is negative, but the reasons the BLS gives are about advertising revenue and consolidation, not AI.
The short answer: AI is changing journalism, but the evidence does not point to it replacing journalists. The ILO's 2025 index places journalists in its third exposure gradient, with a mean score of 0.54. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6 percent decline for news analysts, reporters and journalists from 2025 to 2035, citing falling advertising revenue and news organizations sharing staff and content. Reporting, sourcing and verification stay human. Projections can change.
How exposed journalists are
From the ILO's 2025 index, which scores tasks 0 to 1 for generative AI exposure:
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO band | Mean task score |
|---|---|---|
| Authors and Related Writers | Gradient 3 | 0.55 |
| Journalists | Gradient 3 | 0.54 |
| Public Relations Professionals | Gradient 2 | 0.43 |
Gradient 3 means a large share of tasks are exposed. For journalists, that is mostly writing, editing and summarizing; interviewing and reporting on the ground are much less exposed. Writing as a job is covered in will AI replace writers?
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| News analysts, reporters and journalists | Decline 6% | About 3,400 |
The BLS says declining advertising revenue in radio, newspapers and television is expected to affect long-term demand, that news organizations may have difficulty selling traditional advertising as content moves online, and that as organizations consolidate and share resources, staff and content, demand for journalists may decrease. It does not name AI as a reason.
Newsroom tasks AI is taking on
- Transcribing interviews and meetings.
- Summarizing documents, reports and data releases.
- Drafting routine formula stories from structured data.
- Headlines, versions for different formats and translations.
- Searching archives and sorting large document sets.
What stays with the journalist
- Reporting: being there, finding people and getting them to talk.
- Sources and trust: relationships built over years, and protecting them.
- Verification: AI can produce confident but false statements, which NIST calls confabulation, and can be used to create convincing false content (NIST AI 600-1). Checking what is real is core newsroom work. See checking AI output.
- Judgment: what is news, what is fair, what is in the public interest.
- Accountability: a named person answers for what is published.
AI-written text and copyright
In the US, the Copyright Office concluded in 2025 that copyright does not extend to purely AI-generated material, that prompts alone do not currently provide sufficient control, and that human authors can hold copyright in their own expression perceptible in AI outputs, in creative selection, coordination or arrangement, and in creative modifications. Its registration guidance asks applicants to disclose more than a de minimis amount of AI-generated material (US Copyright Office, Copyright and AI Part 2). See AI-generated work and copyright.
How the work is changing
AI is taking over transcription, summarizing and routine formats, leaving more of the value in original reporting and verification. With newsroom budgets already under pressure for the reasons the BLS gives, journalists who bring sources, beat expertise and verification skills hold the strongest position.
See also will AI replace writers?, will AI replace translators? and will AI take my job?
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for reporters correspondents and broadcast news analysts at $62,200 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: bachelor's degree. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace journalists?
Not on current evidence, though the work is changing. Journalists are in ILO gradient 3, and the BLS projects a 6 percent decline from 2025 to 2035, citing advertising revenue and consolidation rather than AI.
Will AI replace reporters?
Reporting itself, finding sources, interviewing and being on the scene, is among the least exposed parts of the job. Drafting and summarizing are the most exposed.
How exposed are journalists to AI?
In the ILO 2025 index, journalists score 0.54, close to authors and writers at 0.55, both in gradient 3.
Why is journalism employment projected to decline?
The BLS points to declining advertising revenue in radio, newspapers and television, and to news organizations consolidating and sharing staff and content.
What newsroom work stays human?
Reporting, source relationships, verification, editorial judgment and accountability for what is published.