---
title: "Will AI Replace IT Managers? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates IT managers' exposure to AI as very high. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (+15.8% projected)."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-it-managers"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace IT Managers? (2026)

**Short answer:** AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places IT managers in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +15.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 53,500 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Very high | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 24/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +15.8% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 53,500 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $175,140 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High | 190 |
| Very high (this job) | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Face-to-face discussions: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Developing and building teams: 4.1/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Coaching and developing others: 3.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Working with computers: 4.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Processing information: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Time spent sitting: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Analyzing data or information: 4.3/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- Stay abreast of advances in technology.
- Direct daily operations of department, analyzing workflow, establishing priorities, developing standards and setting deadlines.
- Review project plans to plan and coordinate project activity.
- Recruit, hire, train and supervise staff, or participate in staffing decisions.
- Evaluate the organization's technology use and needs and recommend improvements, such as hardware and software upgrades.
- Prepare and review operational reports or project progress reports.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than IT managers

- [Sales Manager](https://nuecareer.com/careers/sales-manager): BLS exposure High, median $148,270; [Will AI replace sales managers?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-sales-managers)
- [Human Resources Manager](https://nuecareer.com/careers/human-resources-manager): BLS exposure High, median $149,280; [Will AI replace human resources managers?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-human-resources-managers)
- [Natural Sciences Manager](https://nuecareer.com/careers/natural-sciences-manager): BLS exposure High, median $167,220; [Will AI replace natural sciences managers?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-natural-sciences-managers)
- [Architectural and Engineering Manager](https://nuecareer.com/careers/architectural-and-engineering-manager): BLS exposure High, median $171,270; [Will AI replace architectural and engineering managers?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-architectural-and-engineering-managers)
- [Compliance Manager](https://nuecareer.com/careers/compliance-manager): BLS exposure High, median $141,900

## FAQ

**Will AI replace IT managers?**

AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average. 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 change by +15.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 53,500 openings a year.

**How exposed are IT managers to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. IT Managers 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 an IT manager'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, processing information and time spent sitting. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, developing and building teams 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 an IT manager a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, IT managers score 24 out of 100, higher than 14% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $175,140 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 IT managers are less exposed to AI?**

Sales Manager (high exposure, $148,270 median), Human Resources Manager (high exposure, $149,280 median), Natural Sciences Manager (high exposure, $167,220 median), Architectural and Engineering Manager (high exposure, $171,270 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than IT managers, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/it-manager.

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology