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Will AI Replace Public Relations Specialists? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places public relations specialists in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +1.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 23,000 openings a year.

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.

BLS AI exposure
Very highBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
37/100Higher than 34% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+1.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
23,000BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed public relations specialists 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. Public Relations Specialists 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

  1. Low203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  • Face-to-face discussions4.8/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Performing for or working directly with the public4.2/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Thinking creatively4.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Getting information4.7/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Working with computers4.2/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Email5.0/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Time spent sitting3.9/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

The tasks O*NET lists for public relations specialists

  • Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source.
  • Plan or direct development or communication of programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization's accomplishments, agenda, or environmental responsibility.
  • Post and update content on the company's Web site and social media outlets.
  • Establish or maintain cooperative relationships with representatives of community, consumer, employee, or public interest groups.
  • Confer with other managers to identify trends or key group interests or concerns or to provide advice on business decisions.
  • Arrange public appearances, lectures, contests, or exhibits for clients to increase product or service awareness or to promote goodwill.

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 +1.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 23,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 283,380 people work in the job today, at a median of $74,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full public relations specialist profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than public relations specialists

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.

  1. Professional Athlete

    Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

    Median pay
    $66,710median a year
    Growth
    +5.5%
    Openings / yr
    2,200
    Education
    No formal credential
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Compete in athletic events.

  2. Sound Engineering Technician

    Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

    Median pay
    $73,130median a year
    Growth
    −3.1%
    Openings / yr
    1,000
    Education
    Certificate
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    41/100
    resilience

    Assemble and operate equipment to record, synchronize, mix, edit, or reproduce sound, including music, voices, or sound effects, for theater, video, film, television, podcasts, sporting events, and other productions.

  3. Camera Operator, Television, Video, and Film

    Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

    Median pay
    $74,990median a year
    Growth
    +1.3%
    Openings / yr
    2,500
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    62/100
    resilience

    Operate television, video, or film camera to record images or scenes for television, video, or film productions.

  4. Media Technical Directors/Manager

    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
    44/100
    resilience

    Coordinate activities of technical departments, such as taping, editing, engineering, and maintenance, to produce radio or television programs.

  5. Music Director and Composer

    Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

    Median pay
    $73,710median a year
    Growth
    +1.2%
    Openings / yr
    4,200
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    41/100
    resilience

    Conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical artists or groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs; or create original works of music.

  6. Fashion Designer

    Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

    Median pay
    $80,960median a year
    Growth
    +0.1%
    Openings / yr
    2,500
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    40/100
    resilience

    Design clothing and accessories.

Questions

Will AI Replace Public Relations Specialists? FAQ

Will AI replace public relations specialists?

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. 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 +1.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 23,000 openings a year.

How exposed are public relations specialists to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Public Relations Specialists 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 public relations specialist's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are getting information, working with computers and email. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships and performing for or working directly with the public. 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 public relations specialist a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, public relations specialists score 37 out of 100, higher than 34% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $74,750 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 public relations specialists are less exposed to AI?

Professional Athlete (moderate exposure, $66,710 median), Sound Engineering Technician (moderate exposure, $73,130 median), Camera Operator, Television, Video, and Film (high exposure, $74,990 median), Media Technical Directors/Manager (high exposure, $90,360 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than public relations specialists, 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.