Communications Equipment Operators, All Other

Some tasks in this job are starting to use AI, but most still rely on people. For example, Florida’s public radio station now uses an AI system (BEACON) that automatically converts weather warnings into natural-sounding radio alerts in English and Spanish ^[1]. Likewise, industry tools can write and speak weather forecasts that “sound indistinguishable from a human speaker” ^[2].

These show AI can help with weather broadcasts. However, other duties seem largely untouched by AI. We didn’t find reports of AI fully keeping station logs or flipping switches.

Modern stations use computers to record transmissions, but human operators still oversee the equipment. Tasks like tuning radios, switching frequencies, or speaking with pilots and ship crews usually require skilled judgment and official licenses, so they are still done by trained people rather than fully automated systems.

Whether AI will spread fast in this field depends on costs, benefits, and trust. On one hand, AI tools are available and can work 24/7 (for example, BEACON is a state-funded project automating emergency alerts ^[1]). This could save time for broadcasters.

On the other hand, the job pays about $46,000 per year on average ^[3], so employers weigh that against the cost of new software and hardware. Also, there are only a few thousand workers in these roles nationwide ^[3], so the market for custom AI tools is small. Social and legal factors matter too: regulators like the FCC are starting to address how AI is used on air (for instance, proposing rules for AI-generated political ads ^[4]), and managers want to be sure AI won’t make mistakes before relying on it ^[4].

Telecom companies today are more focused on big network upgrades (like fiber rollouts) than about AI alone ^[5].