---
title: "Will AI Replace Public Relations Specialists?"
description: "BLS rates public relations specialists' exposure to AI as very high. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-public-relations-specialists"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Public Relations Specialists? (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.

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.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Very high | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 37/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +1.8% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 23,000 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $74,750 | 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: 4.8/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Performing for or working directly with the public: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Thinking creatively: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Getting information: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Working with computers: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Email: 5.0/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Time spent sitting: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work context)

## O\*NET tasks

- 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.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than public relations specialists

- [Professional Athlete](https://nuecareer.com/careers/professional-athlete): BLS exposure Moderate, median $66,710
- [Sound Engineering Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/sound-engineering-technician): BLS exposure Moderate, median $73,130
- [Camera Operator, Television, Video, and Film](https://nuecareer.com/careers/camera-operator-television-video-and-film): BLS exposure High, median $74,990
- [Media Technical Directors/Manager](https://nuecareer.com/careers/media-technical-directors-manager): BLS exposure High, median $90,360
- [Music Director and Composer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/music-director-and-composer): BLS exposure High, median $73,710
- [Fashion Designer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/fashion-designer): BLS exposure High, median $80,960

## 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.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/public-relations-specialist.

---

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