Somewhat Resilient
Last Update: 5/19/2026
AI Resilience Score for Postsecondary Comm Teacher:
46.6%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
Med
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Low
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Med
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
Most data sources align, with only minor variation. This is a well-supported result.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forCommunications Teachers, Postsecondary
$77,800 median salary•2,700 annual openings•SOC Code: 25-1122.00
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary are somewhat less resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 7 sources.
Communications professors land in the "Somewhat Resilient" category because while AI is genuinely changing parts of this job, the heart of what they do — mentoring students, leading meaningful discussions, and modeling ethical communication — still requires a real human in the room. The back-office tasks like drafting syllabi, building rubrics, and writing recommendation letters are already being handled faster with AI tools, which means that slice of the workload is shifting.
Learn more about how you can thrive in this position
Learn more about how you can thrive in this position
This role is somewhat resilient
Communications professors land in the "Somewhat Resilient" category because while AI is genuinely changing parts of this job, the heart of what they do — mentoring students, leading meaningful discussions, and modeling ethical communication — still requires a real human in the room. The back-office tasks like drafting syllabi, building rubrics, and writing recommendation letters are already being handled faster with AI tools, which means that slice of the workload is shifting.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Postsecondary Comm Teacher
Updated Quarterly

How is AI changing Postsecondary Comm Teacher jobs?
Right now, AI is mostly augmenting communications professors rather than replacing them — meaning it helps them work faster on certain tasks while the actual teaching stays in human hands. One national survey of more than 1,800 higher education staff members conducted by consulting firm Tyton Partners earlier this year found that about 40% of administrators and 30% of instructors use generative AI daily or weekly — that's up from just 2% and 4%, respectively, in the spring of 2023. Reporting from NPR [1] describes professors using Gemini and Claude to brainstorm readings, build grading rubrics, and design lessons — exactly the curriculum, syllabus, and handout tasks O*NET flags as highly automatable.
A National Communication Association faculty member describes demonstrating AI speech-coaching tools like Yoodli and Microsoft Speaker Coach [2] inside her public-speaking unit, and notes that faculty are using AI tools for grading, developing rubrics, and writing recommendation letters. A new College Board research brief [3] covering 3,000+ faculty also found that College faculty in business and communication report student use of AI in preparing presentations, pushing instructors to redesign assignments around AI literacy rather than ban it.
Sources

How fast is AI adoption growing for Postsecondary Comm Teacher?
Adoption is moving quickly on back-office work but slowly in the classroom itself. Tools that draft syllabi or bibliographies are cheap, widely available, and save real time — a powerful pull for overworked faculty. But culture is pushing back: Nine in 10 faculty members say that generative AI will diminish students' critical thinking skills, and 95 percent say its impact will increase students' overreliance on AI tools over time, according to a report out today from the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Elon University.
Inside Higher Ed [4] also reports About a quarter of faculty don't use any AI tools at all, and about a third don't use them in teaching, and a new AAUP report [5] is urging faculty oversight of any AI rollouts. The good news for young people: the parts of this job that resist automation — mentoring, leading discussion, modeling ethical communication, and attending community and campus events — are exactly what employers and students still need a human professor to do.

Will AI replace Postsecondary Comm Teacher?
Not entirely. We think AI will take over some tasks, but not the whole job.
Our 46.6% AI Resilience Score reflects a real tension here. AI tools are already handling a lot of the prep work that used to eat up faculty time: drafting syllabi, building rubrics, brainstorming readings. Professors at schools across the country are using tools like Gemini and Claude for exactly these tasks [1], and faculty in communications are even bringing AI speech-coaching tools directly into their public-speaking units [2]. That shift is real and it is not slowing down.
But the core of this job is harder to automate. Leading a classroom discussion, mentoring a student through a difficult presentation, modeling ethical communication, pushing back when a student's argument falls apart: those moments still need a human in the room. Nine in ten faculty members believe generative AI will diminish students' critical thinking skills [4], which is actually an argument for keeping skilled teachers central, not sidelining them.
The honest concern is job market demand, which our data rates as low through 2034. Fewer openings means more competition, even if the role itself survives. Students considering this path should plan to build strong AI fluency alongside their communication expertise, because the professors who thrive will be the ones who can teach both.
Sources

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Latest AI news for Postsecondary Comm Teacher
The selected articles highlight the significant impact of AI on postsecondary teaching, particularly in communications. With 14 out of 20 occupations most exposed to AI being educators, understanding this landscape is crucial. For instance, Microsoft's report outlines how communication roles are at risk, but also emphasizes that creativity and critical thinking remain irreplaceable. Embracing AI tools can enhance teaching methods, making educators more effective and adaptable. By developing AI resilience, future communications teachers can thrive in an evolving job market, leveraging technology to enrich their students' learning experiences.

Navigating the Turbulent Future of AI and Work
www.nationalacademies.org • 5/6/2026
How is artificial intelligence affecting education and jobs, and what should young people study now to be employable in the future?

Microsoft researchers have revealed the 40 jobs most exposed to AI—and even teachers make the list
www.yahoo.com • 1/19/2026
Sorry, Gen Z: AI is coming for safe and secure teaching jobs, as well as grad roles.

Microsoft reveals 40 jobs AI is coming for, and 40 it can’t touch yet
hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com • 8/2/2025
Jobs Affected By Ai: A new Microsoft report identifies 40 jobs most impacted by AI, focusing on roles involving communication and content...

AI threatens to eliminate 40 job roles, according to Microsoft's latest research finding — Is your career safe?
www.windowscentral.com • 7/29/2025
A Microsoft Research paper has listed out 40 professions it believes are most at risk from the rise of AI, as well as 40 professions that...

College professors face the highest exposure to AI tools, study finds
universitybusiness.com • 3/24/2023
Of the 20 occupations most exposed to AI language modeling capabilities, 14 of them were postsecondary teachers.
More Career Info
Career: Communications Teachers, Postsecondary
They teach college students how to effectively share information through speaking and writing, and guide them in understanding media and communication theories.
Parent Careers
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Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$77,800
Jobs (2024)
35,800
Growth (2024-34)
+2.1%
Annual Openings
2,700
Education
Doctoral or professional degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Perform administrative duties such as serving as department head.
2
Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
3
Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
4
Select and obtain materials and supplies such as textbooks.
5
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
6
Keep abreast of developments and technological advances in the communication field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
7
Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
