AI exposure in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupations
40 occupations, 806 tasks, scored against the capability frontier of 2026-09-15. This family ranks 8 of 22 by median exposed share.
Reading this family
computedThe median arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupation has 37.5% of its weighted task load in work current AI systems can already produce, which is 13.2 points above the median across every occupation in the index. Weighted by how many people actually do these jobs, the figure is 42.3%, across 1,874,040 US workers. 25 of these occupations fall in the exposed band, 0 in assisted and 15 in untouched.
What holds the line across this family is context, at 1.65 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions here. In plain terms the obstacle is knowing things a model cannot hold. The work runs on private, tacit or real-time organisational knowledge. This is the friction most likely to erode, because context is a plumbing problem rather than a law.
The spread inside the family is wider than the gap between families, which is the usual pattern and the reason this index does not publish a single number per group. Technical Writers sits at 68.9%. Athletes and Sports Competitors sits at 8.4%. Both are arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupations, and 60.4 points separate them.
Where the family score comes from
judgedMeans across all 806 tasks in this family. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 2.28 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.15 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 1.14 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.49 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.65 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.03 | 0-3 |
Every arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupation
See them on the chart| Occupation | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Median pay | Tasks | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Writers | 68.9% | 16.3% | 14.8% | $90,390 | 15 | exposed |
| Writers and Authors | 65.7% | 17.2% | 17.2% | $76,910 | 20 | exposed |
| Editors | 63.1% | 15.9% | 20.9% | $77,920 | 22 | exposed |
| Interpreters and Translators | 62.6% | 27.5% | 9.9% | $60,170 | 17 | exposed |
| Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers | 61.3% | 14.4% | 24.2% | $76,910 | 16 | exposed |
| Public Relations Specialists | 56.1% | 18.9% | 25.0% | $74,750 | 18 | exposed |
| Special Effects Artists and Animators | 51.7% | 15.0% | 33.3% | $102,030 | 13 | exposed |
| Graphic Designers | 51.2% | 17.7% | 31.1% | $62,960 | 19 | exposed |
| Film and Video Editors | 51.0% | 17.3% | 31.8% | $75,420 | 22 | exposed |
| News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | 50.3% | 19.9% | 29.8% | $62,200 | 30 | exposed |
| Fashion Designers | 49.1% | 20.2% | 30.7% | $80,960 | 20 | exposed |
| Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | 48.0% | 24.8% | 27.2% | $72,420 | 15 | exposed |
| Music Directors and Composers | 45.4% | 13.7% | 41.0% | $73,710 | 30 | exposed |
| Producers and Directors | 44.7% | 19.7% | 35.6% | $90,360 | 30 | exposed |
| Art Directors | 43.4% | 21.6% | 35.0% | $114,850 | 16 | exposed |
| Media Programming Directors | 42.8% | 21.6% | 35.6% | $90,360 | 23 | exposed |
| Commercial and Industrial Designers | 42.3% | 21.7% | 36.0% | $83,910 | 17 | exposed |
| Disc Jockeys, Except Radio | 41.8% | 19.4% | 38.8% | n/a | 19 | exposed |
| Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | 41.3% | 22.2% | 36.5% | $47,340 | 24 | exposed |
| Broadcast Technicians | 38.5% | 21.0% | 40.5% | $59,570 | 28 | exposed |
| Audio and Video Technicians | 36.4% | 18.9% | 44.8% | $58,100 | 29 | exposed |
| Set and Exhibit Designers | 36.3% | 20.5% | 43.1% | $75,240 | 27 | exposed |
| Interior Designers | 35.9% | 23.0% | 41.1% | $67,190 | 16 | exposed |
| Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators | 34.6% | 14.6% | 50.8% | $55,490 | 28 | untouched |
| Craft Artists | 34.5% | 14.6% | 50.9% | $46,080 | 16 | untouched |
| Floral Designers | 34.3% | 15.4% | 50.3% | $37,360 | 15 | untouched |
| Sound Engineering Technicians | 34.3% | 18.1% | 47.7% | $73,130 | 14 | exposed |
| Photographers | 31.0% | 11.2% | 57.8% | $44,660 | 28 | untouched |
| Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film | 29.6% | 14.2% | 56.2% | $74,990 | 21 | untouched |
| Talent Directors | 29.1% | 22.3% | 48.6% | $90,360 | 15 | exposed |
| Media Technical Directors/Managers | 28.1% | 19.7% | 52.2% | $90,360 | 15 | untouched |
| Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers | 26.8% | 12.4% | 60.8% | $39,390 | 24 | untouched |
| Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials | 25.1% | 24.0% | 50.9% | $40,710 | 16 | untouched |
| Choreographers | 24.6% | 15.4% | 60.0% | $55,310 | 18 | untouched |
| Coaches and Scouts | 22.2% | 22.2% | 55.6% | $47,320 | 27 | untouched |
| Actors | 22.1% | 14.3% | 63.6% | n/a | 18 | untouched |
| Musicians and Singers | 19.7% | 11.6% | 68.8% | n/a | 26 | untouched |
| Dancers | 11.5% | 4.3% | 84.2% | n/a | 14 | untouched |
| Lighting Technicians | 11.4% | 10.5% | 78.1% | $68,060 | 16 | untouched |
| Athletes and Sports Competitors | 8.4% | 6.2% | 85.4% | $66,710 | 9 | untouched |
Exposure is not displacement. These figures say what current systems can produce and what stands in the way. They do not say anyone will stop paying a person to do the work. How the score is built.