Writers and Authors: daily tasks & AI impact
This page breaks Writers and Authors into the top 15 daily O*NET tasks and scores each for Generative AI automation probability. Those task scores roll up to an overall vulnerability index of 64/100 (Moderate automation risk). Struck-through rows are ≥80% automatable; highlighted safer rows are under 30% or primarily physical.
High-automation exposure
No task in this set currently exceeds the 80% threshold, so risk is spread across moderate probabilities rather than a few catastrophic duties.
Durable human work
This profile has little “safe” task mass under our thresholds. Workers should treat AI fluency as mandatory and actively map transferable skills into lower-risk roles.
Importance comes from O*NET incumbent ratings. Automation probability is model-generated for current Generative AI capability (not speculative AGI). Digital / physical / mixed labels describe the modality of the work, which strongly correlates with near-term automation potential.
| Task | Importance | AI probability | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information. Core | 4.46 | — | — |
| Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium. Core | 4.43 | — | — |
| Present drafts and ideas to clients. Core | 4.24 | — | — |
| Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy. Core | 4.23 | — | — |
| Review advertising trends, consumer surveys, and other data regarding marketing of goods and services to determine the best way to promote products. Core | 3.71 | — | — |
| Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material. Core | 3.7 | — | — |
| Conduct research and interviews to determine which of a product's selling features should be promoted. Supplemental | 3.57 | — | — |
| Invent names for products and write the slogans that appear on packaging, brochures and other promotional material. Supplemental | 3.48 | — | — |
| Collaborate with other writers on specific projects. n/a | — | — | — |
| Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews. n/a | — | — | — |
| Consult with sales, media and marketing representatives to obtain information on product or service and discuss style and length of advertising written material. n/a | — | — | — |
| Edit or rewrite existing written material as necessary, and submit written material for approval by supervisor, editor, or publisher. n/a | — | — | — |
| Follow appropriate procedures to get copyrights for completed work. n/a | — | — | — |
| Plan project arrangements or outlines, and organize material accordingly. n/a | — | — | — |
| Prepare works in appropriate format for publication, and send them to publishers or producers. n/a | — | — | — |
What remains human
No tasks currently fall under the safe threshold for this occupation.
FAQ
Which Writers and Authors tasks are most exposed to AI?
No task in this set currently exceeds the 80% threshold, so risk is spread across moderate probabilities rather than a few catastrophic duties.
Which Writers and Authors tasks are safest from Generative AI?
This profile has little “safe” task mass under our thresholds. Workers should treat AI fluency as mandatory and actively map transferable skills into lower-risk roles.
How should I read the Writers and Authors task table?
Importance comes from O*NET incumbent ratings. Automation probability is model-generated for current Generative AI capability (not speculative AGI). Digital / physical / mixed labels describe the modality of the work, which strongly correlates with near-term automation potential.