AI exposure: Desktop Publishers
Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material.
Reading this score
computedDesktop Publishers sits in the top 0% of every occupation measured. 72.9% of what this job consists of, weighted by how important each task is to the role, is work current AI systems can produce with little standing in the way. Very few occupations score this high. The ones that do tend to share a trait: the output is a document, a calculation or a message, and nobody has to be in a particular room for it to count.
No single friction dominates this occupation. The strongest is context at 1.14 out of 3 and the weakest is presence at 0.22, which is a narrow spread. Where nothing structural stands in the way, exposure tracks capability almost directly, and capability is the thing that changes every quarter.
The most exposed thing this job does is Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready..., at 93.3%. The least is Store copies of publications on paper, magnetic tape, film, or diskette, at 16.7%. A gap of 76.7% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within office and administrative support occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 51 roles in the group is 54.6%, and only 0 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 18 tasks, 15 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 2 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take capability alone, since there is little structural friction here to slow adoption once a system can do the work. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Task by task
18 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy. | 93.3% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 4.75 | exposed |
| Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of type styles and size and layout patterns. | 93.3% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 4.47 | exposed |
| Prepare sample layouts for approval, using computer software. | 93.3% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 4.36 | exposed |
| Convert various types of files for printing or for the Internet, using computer software. | 93.3% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 4.01 | exposed |
| Edit graphics and photos, using pixel or bitmap editing, airbrushing, masking, or image retouching. | 93.3% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 3.88 | exposed |
| Create special effects such as vignettes, mosaics, and image combining, and add elements such as sound and animation to electronic publications. | 93.3% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 3.54 | exposed |
| Enter text into computer keyboard and select the size and style of type, column width, and appropriate spacing for printed materials. | 90.0% | 10.0% | 0.0% | 4.38 | exposed |
| Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.41 | exposed |
| Enter digitized data into electronic prepress system computer memory, using scanner, camera, keyboard, or mouse. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 3.99 | exposed |
| Enter data, such as coordinates of images and color specifications, into system to retouch and make color corrections. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 3.79 | exposed |
| Study layout or other design instructions to determine work to be done and sequence of operations. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.18 | exposed |
| Select number of colors and determine color separations. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.02 | exposed |
| Collaborate with graphic artists, editors and writers to produce master copies according to design specifications. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 4.17 | exposed |
| Import text and art elements, such as electronic clip art or electronic files from photographs that have been scanned or produced with a digital camera, using computer software. | 33.3% | 16.7% | 50.0% | 4.29 | exposed |
| Load floppy disks or tapes containing information into system. | 33.3% | 16.7% | 50.0% | 3.29 | exposed |
| Transmit, deliver, or mail publication master to printer for production into film and plates. | 30.0% | 7.5% | 62.5% | 4.23 | untouched |
| View monitors for visual representation of work in progress and for instructions and feedback throughout process, making modifications as necessary. | 16.7% | 33.3% | 50.0% | 4.40 | assisted |
| Store copies of publications on paper, magnetic tape, film, or diskette. | 16.7% | 8.3% | 75.0% | 3.62 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean. 1 task(s) lacked a usable O*NET weight and are shown but excluded from the weighting.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 3.19 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 0.67 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.22 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.42 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.14 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 0.58 | 0-3 |
What this means in practice
Where most of a role's weighted task load is exposed, the work that survives is usually the part of the job nobody wrote into the job description: deciding what should be produced rather than producing it, and being answerable for the result. The tasks lowest on this page are a better guide to where to spend your time than any general advice about the future of work.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.