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.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Training and Development Specialists? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places training and development specialists in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +10.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 46,000 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 35/100Higher than 31% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +10.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 46,000BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed training and development 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. Training and Development 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
- 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
- Coaching and developing others4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Training and teaching others4.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Email5.0/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Working with computers4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Getting information4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for training and development specialists
- Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures.
- Obtain, organize, or develop training procedure manuals, guides, or course materials, such as handouts or visual materials.
- Evaluate modes of training delivery, such as in-person or virtual, to optimize training effectiveness, training costs, or environmental impacts.
- Design, plan, organize, or direct orientation and training programs for employees or customers.
- Develop alternative training methods if expected improvements are not seen.
- Keep up with developments in area of expertise by reading current journals, books, or magazine articles.
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 +10.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 46,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 458,300 people work in the job today, at a median of $69,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full training and development specialist profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than training and development 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.
Farm Labor Contractor
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $58,460median a year
- Growth
- +7.4%
- Openings / yr
- 100
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 52/100
- resilience
Recruit and hire seasonal or temporary agricultural laborers.
Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $66,270median a year
- Growth
- −0.4%
- Openings / yr
- 6,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 60/100
- resilience
Teach occupational, vocational, career, or technical subjects to students at the secondary school level.
Fitness and Wellness Coordinator
Management
- Median pay
- $69,770median a year
- Growth
- +6.2%
- Openings / yr
- 2,000
- Education
- High school
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 58/100
- resilience
Manage or coordinate fitness and wellness programs and services.
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $61,160median a year
- Growth
- +5.8%
- Openings / yr
- 16,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 51/100
- resilience
Coordinate activities of staff, convention personnel, or clients to make arrangements for group meetings, events, or conventions.
Insurance Appraiser, Auto Damage
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $78,240median a year
- Growth
- −8.7%
- Openings / yr
- 700
- Education
- Certificate
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 38/100
- resilience
Appraise automobile or other vehicle damage to determine repair costs for insurance claim settlement.
Fundraiser
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $72,550median a year
- Growth
- +5.5%
- Openings / yr
- 10,000
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 37/100
- resilience
Organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization.
Questions
Will AI Replace Training and Development Specialists? FAQ
Will AI replace training and development 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 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 +10.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 46,000 openings a year.
How exposed are training and development specialists to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Training and Development 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 training and development 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 processing information, email and working with computers. The parts that hold up best are coaching and developing others, 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 training and development specialist a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, training and development specialists score 35 out of 100, higher than 31% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $69,280 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 training and development specialists are less exposed to AI?
Farm Labor Contractor (low exposure, $58,460 median), Career/Technical Education Teacher, Secondary School (high exposure, $66,270 median), Fitness and Wellness Coordinator (high exposure, $69,770 median), Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner (high exposure, $61,160 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than training and development 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.