GistGarden

Will AI replace Audio and Video Technicians?

Work in Audio and Video Technicians sits in the in-between: AI reaches some of it (~44% in theory) but is only measured doing about 2% today — part human, part machine.

The Hybrid Zone Part human, part AI — already a blend.

O*NET-SOC 27-4011

How your 11 core tasks split

64% within AI's reach
0 AI can do this now
7 AI speeds this up
4 Still on you
AI could do · GPT-4 study
44%
42-pt gap
AI actually does · 2026 report
2%

Top = what GPT-4 judged AI could speed up. Bottom = how much AI was actually used for these tasks (Anthropic's March 2026 report, usage from Aug & Nov 2025). The gap is the real story.

⚡ The short answer

Back in 2023, GPT-4 judged AI could, in theory, assist with a moderate share of this job's tasks (~44%). By late 2025, real-world AI use had reached about 2% of its task activity (still rare). The gap between that 2023 forecast and today is the real story.

Where this job sits among 738 jobs

Being automatedTicking (can, but unused)Relatively safeQuietly happeningYOU0%50%100%0%40%75% → How much AI could do (theory) → How much AI is actually used (late 2025)

Each dot is one of 738 U.S. jobs. Right = AI can do more of it. Up = AI is actually used more.

Stableconfidence

The signals here line up

Theoretical reach (~44%), real-world use (~2%) and the task-level picture mostly agree — so this read is more reliable than for jobs where the signals contradict each other. Even so, AI-risk estimates shift by model (a 2026 study saw the "high-risk" share swing 2.7%–51.5%), so treat these as directional, not destiny.

See all 11 tasks, ratedBased on real task-level AI scores — click to collapse
AI can already do this0 of 11
  • None — AI cannot fully do any core task alone yet.
AI speeds this up7 of 11
  • Diagnose and resolve media system problems.
  • Compress, digitize, duplicate, and store audio and video data.
  • Install, adjust, and operate electronic equipment to record, edit, and transmit radio and television programs, motion pictures, video conferencing, or multimedia presentations.
  • Control the lights and sound of events, such as live concerts, before and after performances, and during intermissions.
  • Switch sources of video input from one camera or studio to another, from film to live programming, or from network to local programming.
  • Record and edit audio material, such as movie soundtracks, using audio recording and editing equipment.
  • Design layouts of audio and video equipment and perform upgrades and maintenance.
Still on you4 of 11
  • Notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of assistants and other personnel during production.
  • Perform minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment.
  • Conduct training sessions on selection, use, and design of audio-visual materials and on operation of presentation equipment.

My job is in The Hybrid Zone 🤝

Half me, half machine. Honestly? Not mad about it.

Theoretical estimate · not a prediction · gistgarden.com

How we measured this — and how fresh it is

AI's theoretical reach data: 2023

From GPTs-are-GPTs (Eloundou et al.), where GPT-4 rated how much of each task an AI tool could meaningfully speed up. This is the most recent open, commercially-usable occupation-level potential dataset — it dates to 2023. Newer multi-model re-runs exist but swing wildly (one 2026 study saw "high-risk" jobs range 2.7%–51.5% by model) and aren't openly licensed, so we show the stable 2023 baseline and pair it with newer real-world data.

Real-world AI use 2026 report

From the Anthropic Economic Index, which observes how real Claude conversations map onto each occupation's tasks. Published in Anthropic's March 2026 labor-market report, based on usage measured in Aug & Nov 2025 (Sonnet 4 / 4.5).

Task list & ratings O*NET 30.3

Tasks come from O*NET 30.3. Each task's "AI can do / speeds up / still on you" tier uses the real task-level exposure scores from GPTs-are-GPTs (E1 / E2 / E0) — not a guess from keywords.

Sources: O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0) · GPTs-are-GPTs (MIT, 2023) · Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY, Aug & Nov 2025). Page compiled June 2026. "O*NET" is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor.

This page is for general informational purposes only and is not career, financial, or employment advice. AI exposure reflects research estimates of task overlap, not predictions about any individual's job, employer, or future employment.