Short answer
This is one of the most exposed jobs, and BLS projects it to shrink. Exposure is not a forecast of job loss on its own, but here the two point the same way.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Graphic Designers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places graphic designers in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to fall by 1.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 16,000 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 30/100Higher than 23% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- -1.7%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 16,000BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed graphic designers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Graphic Designers land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Thinking creatively4.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.3/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Making decisions and solving problems4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Working with computers4.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Time spent sitting4.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Getting information4.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Email4.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for graphic designers
- Key information into computer equipment to create layouts for client or supervisor.
- Review final layouts and suggest improvements, as needed.
- Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, and select style and size of type.
- Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites.
- Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
- Use computer software to generate new images.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects -1.7% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 16,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 197,830 people work in the job today, at a median of $62,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full graphic designer profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than graphic designers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Audio and Video Technician
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $58,100median a year
- Growth
- +3.9%
- Openings / yr
- 6,600
- Education
- Certificate
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 40/100
- resilience
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 e…
Fine Artist, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $55,490median a year
- Growth
- −2.9%
- Openings / yr
- 2,200
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 38/100
- resilience
Create original artwork using any of a wide variety of media and techniques.
Set and Exhibit Designer
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $75,240median a year
- Growth
- +1.4%
- Openings / yr
- 2,200
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 38/100
- resilience
Design special exhibits and sets for film, video, television, and theater productions.
Interior Designer
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $67,190median a year
- Growth
- +2.7%
- Openings / yr
- 7,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 37/100
- resilience
Plan, design, and furnish the internal space of rooms or buildings.
Producer and Director
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $90,360median a year
- Growth
- +4.0%
- Openings / yr
- 12,100
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 36/100
- resilience
Produce or direct stage, television, radio, video, or film productions for entertainment, information, or instruction.
Film and Video Editor
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Median pay
- $75,420median a year
- Growth
- +3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 3,100
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 34/100
- resilience
Edit moving images on film, video, or other media.
Questions
Will AI Replace Graphic Designers? FAQ
Will AI replace graphic designers?
This is one of the most exposed jobs, and BLS projects it to shrink. Exposure is not a forecast of job loss on its own, but here the two point the same way. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to fall by 1.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 16,000 openings a year.
How exposed are graphic designers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Graphic Designers are in the very high category, alongside 198 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a graphic designer's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are working with computers, time spent sitting and getting information. The parts that hold up best are thinking creatively, face-to-face discussions and establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a graphic designer a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, graphic designers score 30 out of 100, higher than 23% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $62,960 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to graphic designers are less exposed to AI?
Audio and Video Technician (high exposure, $58,100 median), Fine Artist, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (high exposure, $55,490 median), Set and Exhibit Designer (high exposure, $75,240 median), Interior Designer (high exposure, $67,190 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than graphic designers, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.