Editor

O*NET: Editors·27-3041.00

The Verdict:AI handles routine proofreading, rewriting, fact-checking, and content generation at professional quality, automating much of the grunt work. Human strengths remain in nuanced judgment, author collaboration, team oversight, and policy direction -- but these are shrinking as tools scale. The role will evolve into higher-level curation amid accelerating AI adoption.

Resilience Score

/100

Moderate Risk

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$75k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+0.6%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 6 of 22 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

27%

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role has a mixed AI profile.
6 tasks are automatable, 41% reward AI fluency, and 7 remain human-essential.

Read the action plan for high-risk roles

6exposed

9AI leverage

7human-essential

View all 22 tasks

AI Can Handle This6 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.

Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.

Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.

Write text, such as stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.

Review and approve proofs submitted by composing room prior to publication production.

Read material to determine index items and arrange them alphabetically or topically, indicating page or chapter location.

AI Leverage9 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.

Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.

Plan the contents of publications according to the publication's style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements.

Assign topics, events and stories to individual writers or reporters for coverage.

Monitor news-gathering operations to ensure utilization of all news sources, such as press releases, telephone contacts, radio, television, wire services, and other reporters.

Select local, state, national, and international news items received from wire services, based on assessment of items' significance and interest value.

Allocate print space for story text, photos, and illustrations according to space parameters and copy significance, using knowledge of layout principles.

Arrange for copyright permissions.

Respond to questions from the public.

Human Advantage7 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication.

Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors.

Confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories.

Meet frequently with artists, typesetters, layout personnel, marketing directors, and production managers to discuss projects and resolve problems.

Make manuscript acceptance or revision recommendations to the publisher.

Direct the policies and departments of newspapers, magazines and other publishing establishments.

Interview and hire writers and reporters or negotiate contracts, royalties, and payments for authors or freelancers.

Resilience Landscape

Editor lands in Well-Paid, High Risk

Higher Resilience Paths in Creative

Creative

Editor

Task Analysis

Resilience Landscape

Higher Resilience Paths in Creative

Makeup Artist

Musician

Photographer