US dataswitch to UK
Audio and Video Technicians
notifying supervisors when major equipment repairs, recording and editing audio material and performing minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment. If that's your week, this page is about your job.
The honest answer
AI is already taking a real slice of the routine work here: compressing digitize, duplicate and storing audio and video data. That is a slice of tasks, not of you.
That slice is not coming back; the core of the job, performing minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment, stays yours. The tools change hands, the accountability doesn't.
Your week, as this page understands it
Set up, maintain, and dismantle audio and video equipment, such as microphones, sound speakers, connecting wires and cables, sound and mixing boards, video cameras, video monitors and servers, and related electronic equipment for live or recorded events, such as concerts, meetings, conventions, presentations, podcasts, news conferences, and sporting events. The job title says “audio” or “video technicians”: officially one job, two names. The real job is the part underneath: performing minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment. That is the thing someone has to be right about.
The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But audio and video technicians is not one task. It is 29 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is performing minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment, and the ledger below shows exactly why.
Where the work sits, by task weight
- shifting to AI
- 31%
- changing shape
- 14%
- staying human
- 54%
These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.
Whole-job exposure score 41 out of 100 (36–47 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, across 29 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.
How we know this
What is measured: Every published task statement for audio and video technicians is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.
How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.
Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-05. Read the full method.
Your job, task by task
These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.
- 2 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Shifting to AI
11 tasksTasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.
Compressing digitize, duplicate and storing audio and video data
This is reading one thing and writing another: digitize, duplicate and storing audio and video data in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Compress, digitize, duplicate, and store audio and video data.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (71–79 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Compressing, converting and storing media files is routine automated processing; only loading physical media needs a person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Informing users of audio and videotaping service policies and procedures
This is reading one thing and writing another: users of audio in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Inform users of audio and videotaping service policies and procedures.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 79 out of 100 (75–83 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Explaining service policies is standard information that a written guide or assistant can deliver.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Obtaining and previewing musical performance programs prior to events to become familiar with the order and approximate times of pieces
This is reading one thing and writing another: musical performance programs prior in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Obtain and preview musical performance programs prior to events to become familiar with the order and approximate times of pieces.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 75 out of 100 (68–82 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Reading through a performance program to learn the running order is document work software handles easily.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Reserving audio-visual equipment and facilities
This is reading one thing and writing another: audio-visual equipment in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Reserve audio-visual equipment and facilities, such as meeting rooms.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 79 out of 100 (75–83 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Booking rooms and equipment is a scheduling task that booking systems already handle end to end.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Changing shape
4 tasksTasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.
Notifying supervisors when major equipment repairs
The software now makes the first pass at supervisors, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 59 out of 100 (55–63 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Flagging that equipment needs repair is a simple report, and monitoring systems already raise most of these alerts automatically.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Monitoring incoming and outgoing pictures and sound feeds to ensure quality and notify directors of any possible problems
The software now makes the first pass at pictures, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Monitor incoming and outgoing pictures and sound feeds to ensure quality and notify directors of any possible problems.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 48 out of 100 (41–55 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Automated quality monitoring already catches most feed problems and can alert the director without a person watching.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Editing videotapes by erasing and removing portions of programs and adding video or sound
The software now makes the first pass at videotapes, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Edit videotapes by erasing and removing portions of programs and adding video or sound as required.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 56 out of 100 (49–63 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Editing tools with automatic cuts and cleanup now produce usable edits an editor tidies rather than builds from scratch.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Staying human
14 tasksTasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.
Diagnosing and resolving media system problems
This work happens in the physical world: media system problems, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Diagnose and resolve media system problems.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 24 out of 100 (17–31 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Software can suggest likely causes from logs, but fixing a media system usually means touching cables and hardware.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Performing minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment
This work happens in the physical world: minor repairs, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · CoreSource: “Perform minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Repairing and cleaning equipment means physically working on it.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Directing and coordinating activities of assistants and other personnel during production
This work happens in the physical world: activities of assistants, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Direct and coordinate activities of assistants and other personnel during production.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 9 out of 100 (5–13 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Directing a crew during a shoot depends on being there and on the crew reading and trusting you.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Show the other 19 tasks
Organizing and maintaining compliance, license and warranty information related to audio and video facilities
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: compliance, license and warranty information in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Organize and maintain compliance, license, and warranty information related to audio and video facilities.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Keeping licenses, warranties and compliance records organized is standard document management.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Developing manuals, texts, workbooks or related materials for use in conjunction with production materials or for training
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: manuals, texts, workbooks or related materials in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Develop manuals, texts, workbooks, or related materials for use in conjunction with production materials or for training.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (86–100 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Writing manuals and workbooks from equipment specifications is drafting work software does at a high standard.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Analyzing and maintaining data logs for audio-visual activities
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: data logs in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Analyze and maintain data logs for audio-visual activities.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 93 out of 100 (89–97 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Maintaining and analyzing activity logs is standard data work.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Planning and developing pre-production ideas into outlines
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: pre-production ideas in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Plan and develop pre-production ideas into outlines, scripts, story boards, and graphics, using own ideas or specifications of assignments.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 83 out of 100 (76–90 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Turning a brief into outlines, scripts and storyboards is exactly the kind of drafting software does quickly and well.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Producing rough and finished graphics and graphic designs
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: rough in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Produce rough and finished graphics and graphic designs.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 83 out of 100 (76–90 allowing for uncertainty): very high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Design tools now generate rough and finished graphics quickly, with a designer refining rather than starting from nothing.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 4/4.
Maintaining inventories of audio and videotapes and related supplies
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: inventories of audio in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Maintain inventories of audio and videotapes and related supplies.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 69 out of 100 (65–73 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Tracking stock of tapes and supplies is standard inventory record-keeping.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Determining formats, approaches, content, levels and mediums to effectively meet objectives within budgetary constraints, using research, knowledge and training
shifting to AIThis is reading one thing and writing another: formats, approaches, content, levels and mediums in, a record out. That is the shape today's tools are built for.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Determine formats, approaches, content, levels, and mediums to effectively meet objectives within budgetary constraints, using research, knowledge, and training.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 64 out of 100 (57–71 allowing for uncertainty): high exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Choosing formats and approaches within a budget is research and planning software handles with light review.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 0/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Performing narration of productions or presenting announcements
changing shapeThe software now makes the first pass at narration of productions, but the deciding part still needs a person. So the job becomes checking and deciding rather than producing.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Perform narration of productions or present announcements.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 59 out of 100 (52–66 allowing for uncertainty): partial exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: reading one thing and writing another; the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch.
The rating behind it: Synthetic voices now read narration convincingly; only live in-room announcements still need a person.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 4/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Designing layouts of audio and video equipment and performing upgrades and maintenance
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: layouts of audio, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · CoreSource: “Design layouts of audio and video equipment and perform upgrades and maintenance.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 29 out of 100 (22–36 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Planning an equipment layout is desk work, but the upgrades and maintenance are done with hands on the kit.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Recording and editing audio material
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: audio material, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · CoreSource: “Record and edit audio material, such as movie soundtracks, using audio recording and editing equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 29 out of 100 (22–36 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Editing audio is increasingly automated, but capturing the recording means setting up microphones in a real space.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Conducting training sessions on selection
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: sessions, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · CoreSource: “Conduct training sessions on selection, use, and design of audio-visual materials and on operation of presentation equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 26 out of 100 (19–33 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Course material is easy to produce, but hands-on training on the equipment happens with people in the room.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Mixing and regulating sound inputs and feeds or coordinating audio feeds with television pictures
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: sound inputs, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · SupplementalSource: “Mix and regulate sound inputs and feeds or coordinate audio feeds with television pictures.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 21 out of 100 (14–28 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Software can handle routine levels, but a live mix depends on hearing the room and reacting as it happens.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Locating and securing settings, properties, effects and other production necessities
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: settings, properties, effects and other production necessities, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Locate and secure settings, properties, effects, and other production necessities.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 21 out of 100 (14–28 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Software can find and book options, but securing locations and props means visiting and handling them.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Meeting with directors and senior members of camera crews to discuss assignments and determine filming sequences
staying humanThe value here is that a specific person handles directors and stands behind it. That is earned, not computed.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Meet with directors and senior members of camera crews to discuss assignments and determine filming sequences, camera movements, and picture composition.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 17 out of 100 (13–21 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the value is that a specific person does it.
The rating behind it: Agreeing shots and sequences with a director is a creative conversation that depends on the people in the room.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 1/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Switching sources of video input from one camera or studio
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: sources of video input, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · CoreSource: “Switch sources of video input from one camera or studio to another, from film to live programming, or from network to local programming.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 10 out of 100 (3–17 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.
Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Switching between sources is done live at the desk in response to what is happening.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.
Controlling the lights and sound of events
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: the lights, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Control the lights and sound of events, such as live concerts, before and after performances, and during intermissions.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (4–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Running lights and sound at a live event means being at the desk reacting to what happens on stage.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Installing, adjusting and operating electronic equipment to record, edit and transmit radio and television programs, motion pictures, video conferencing or multimedia presentations
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: electronic equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 4 · CoreSource: “Install, adjust, and operate electronic equipment to record, edit, and transmit radio and television programs, motion pictures, video conferencing, or multimedia presentations.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 8 out of 100 (4–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Installing, adjusting and operating broadcast equipment is hands-on work with the hardware.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
Constructing and positioning properties, sets, lighting equipment and other equipment
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: properties, sets, lighting equipment and other equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Construct and position properties, sets, lighting equipment, and other equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Building and positioning sets and lighting rigs is physical work on the floor.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.
Obtaining, setting up and loading videotapes for scheduled productions or broadcasts
staying humanThis work happens in the physical world: and loading videotapes, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.
importance 3 · SupplementalSource: “Obtain, set up, and load videotapes for scheduled productions or broadcasts.” (O*NET task statement)
How this row was scored
Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.
Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.
The rating behind it: Fetching and loading tapes is physical handling of media and machines.
The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.
What this job pays, and how many people do it
- Median pay
- $58,100a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this
Source: bls-oews
Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
Rounding: Shown as published.
- People doing this job
- 70,230in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.
Why this is shifting
The reason is boringly specific. Most of what is shifting here is reading one thing and writing another: digitize, duplicate and storing audio and video data in, a record out. The rows above are exactly that shape: compressing digitize, duplicate and storing audio and video data and informing users of audio and videotaping service policies and procedures. What it cannot do is be there in the room, and that is still where minor repairs get done. Which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.
Your move
Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend
Your week is splitting in two, and which half fills it is the whole question. Compressing digitize, duplicate and storing audio and video data is going; performing minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment is not.
So, given all that: 31% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 14% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 54% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 29 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.
The occupation is an average and you are not, so the first job below is finding out where your own week actually sits.
This week: one thing
Print the task ledger above and put your own hours next to each row. Roughly, in pen, in one sitting. Then look at which group your hours actually pile up in. Twenty minutes, this week.
- What you end up holding
- your own week, on one page, sorted into what is shifting and what is not
- How long it takes
- about twenty minutes
If printing it isn’t practical: Read the rows off this page and write the same list on the back of an envelope. Same twenty minutes, same page, and it works just as well said out loud to someone who knows the job. The point is your hours next to the rows, not the paper it is on.
Over the next 90 days
Volunteer toward the durable end, visibly. Over the next ninety days put your hand up for the work in the bottom group (performing minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment) and let people see you doing it. Not a new project: the same job, with your mix deliberately tilted. The point is that when the rota or the reorganisation comes, the version of you people picture is the one doing the part that stays.
Over the next 12 months
Claim a specialism at the durable end and let the other end go. Over a year, deliberately become the person who handles performing minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment, and deliberately stop being the first choice for the rows in the top group. That trade costs something, because the exposed work is often the comfortable work. Decide it on purpose rather than by drift. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.
The roads out of here, and why I am not sending you down them
I looked at the obvious moves out of this job, and here is what I found.
I checked the 12 nearest US occupations to audio and video technicians (nearest by the work that AI is not taking, not by job title), and none of them survived. The closest was lighting technicians: only about 10% of its durable work is work you already do and there are far fewer of those jobs than of yours. Your own job splits about 31/69: that share of the list sits in the top exposure band and the rest does not. On this evidence the honest move is inside the job rather than out of it. Become the person who owns “notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed”, and let the exposed end go.
How that was checked: this job was compared against all 830 US occupations in this release on their official task statements, and the 12 nearest were examined one by one. A move that turns on an industry, an employer or a qualification rather than on the work itself will not show up in a check like that. And this release carries no licence register, so anything you are weighing needs that looked up separately.
3 moves I checked and rejected
These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.
Lighting Technicians
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed, and their equivalent is to notify supervisors when major lighting equipment repairs are needed. Across both published task lists that is about 10% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 10% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. And it is a narrow door: about 8,900 of those jobs against 70,230 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 13% as many seats.
Disc Jockeys, Except Radio
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already perform minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment, and their equivalent is to assemble audio and video equipment. Across both published task lists that is about 4% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 4% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. This release publishes no median pay for that job, so I cannot show you what the move costs or pays. I do not recommend a move I cannot price. And it is a narrow door: about 7,920 of those jobs against 70,230 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 11% as many seats.
Library Assistants, Clerical
Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already analyze and maintain data logs for audio-visual activities, and their equivalent is to operate and maintain audio-visual equipment. Across both published task lists that is about 4% of the durable work in that job.
Why I am not recommending it: Almost none of it is work you already do: about 4% of the durable side of that job. That is a different job, not a next step. It is a pay cut, in those words: $36,910 against your $58,100, 36.5% less (OEWS May 2025 (both)). Retraining to earn less is a decision, not advice.
What I’d stop worrying about
A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.
The headline number you read somewhere
The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 31% of its task weight, across 29 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.
The whole-job doom story
Nothing on this page says this job ends. It says the mix inside it moves. Half the rows above are unchanged or changing shape, and the plan is about which half your week sits in. That is a very different problem, and a solvable one.
Panic-buying a course
Do the twenty-minute sorting exercise first. Most people who buy a course before they have done it buy the wrong one, and the free services listed below will tell you the same thing without charging for it.
The “obvious” next job everyone suggests
I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.
You are reading the United States figures
The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.
Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match
In UK official statistics this job is counted as Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators. Pay and employment stay on this page’s own group; the task list and the scores do not cross over.
Your route through this
Where to go next, and what it costs
Free, and complete
The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Find local training
Search what's running near you, from the Labor Department's own database, before anyone sells you a course.
Free to search; individual programs vary, and some are funded
Anywhere in the US:
An American Job Center will sit down with you for free. Find yours by ZIP code.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
CareerOneStop - Licensed occupations finder
Check what your state actually requires before you pay for anything.
Free
Anywhere in the US:
Free
No Space for this job, but one for what is happening to it
Nothing Collab365 runs is built for audio / video technicians, and we are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.
There is one that is not about a job title at all. The AI Authority is about being the person who directs these tools at work rather than the person they get compared to. That is worth saying here, because 31% of the work on this page is already inside what they can do.
7 days free, no card needed. Explore up to 2 Spaces before you choose a plan: you pick a plan later, not now.
The AI Authority is a general community about working with AI, not a course for audio / video technicians. You do not need it to act on anything here: the moves above cost nothing and stand on their own. The data on this page is the same either way.
Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for audio / video technicians launches. Nothing else.
That did not look like an email address, so nothing was saved. Have another go below.
We could not save that. The fault is ours, not yours, and your address was not stored. Please try again later.
No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.
Questions people ask about this job
- Will AI replace Audio and Video Technicians?
- Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 29 official task statements scored for Audio and Video Technicians (United States, SOC 27-4011), 31% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 41 out of 100 (range 36–47, band: partial). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
- Which tasks in “Audio and Video Technicians” can AI already do?
- The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Organize and maintain compliance, license, and warranty information related to audio and video facilities” (93/100, very high); “Develop manuals, texts, workbooks, or related materials for use in conjunction with production materials or for training” (93/100, very high); “Analyze and maintain data logs for audio-visual activities” (93/100, very high). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
- Which tasks in “Audio and Video Technicians” stay human?
- About 54% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Obtain, set up, and load videotapes for scheduled productions or broadcasts” (0/100, minimal); “Construct and position properties, sets, lighting equipment, and other equipment” (0/100, minimal); “Perform minor repairs and routine cleaning of audio and video equipment” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
- What should someone working in “Audio and Video Technicians” do about AI?
- Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 31% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 54% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
- How is the AI exposure score for Audio and Video Technicians calculated?
- Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 29 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.
Where these numbers come from
Worth knowing about these figures
- The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
- 2 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
- Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
- Task statements
- onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
- Task weights
- onet-db (im-rt)
- Scores
- Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
- Pay and employment
- bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))
Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.
The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.
The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.
Using these figures?
Cite this
Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.
Plain text
Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).
BibTeX
@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
title = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
author = {{Collab365}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
note = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.