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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels?
Task-level automation exposure for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
39%
weighted task index
30 of 30 tasks scored
Median Salary
$92,460 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
36,850 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+4.0%
employment change
3,800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 40 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$47,410 – $138,950
Highest medians
Maryland $138,950
Tennessee $132,710
Louisiana $117,160
Texas $111,390
California $110,090
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $47,410
Virgin Islands $48,700
Utah $50,010
Michigan $53,590
Ohio $56,070
State figures come from the 53-5021 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 39%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 18%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 37%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 4%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 72/100
High
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
30 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 27%
8 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 18%
6 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 55%
16 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 05/2025 · AI/SME
Oversee the use of drones for inspection and maintenance of hard-to-reach parts of the vessel.
Constituent Tasks
#23802 · Core · 70% automatable
Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
data analysis — Route optimization computational; human confirms
Choose optimal transportation routes or speeds.
#23803 · Core · 25% automatable
Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.
situated mobility — Transport direction needs real-time operational control
Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
#23804 · Core · 25% automatable
Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.
situated mobility — Transport direction needs real-time operational control
Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
#23805 · Core · 72% automatable
Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.
information retrieval — Map route reading strong, real-world routing human
Read maps to determine routes.
#23806 · Core · 8% automatable
Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses.
situated mobility — Vessel operation requires real-world navigation and control
Operate ships or other watercraft.
#23807 · Core · 30% automatable
Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.
physical manipulation — Operating comms hardware needs hands-on setup and tuning
Operate communications equipment or systems.
#23808 · Core · 8% automatable
Dock or undock vessels, sometimes maneuvering through narrow spaces, such as locks.
situated mobility — Vessel operation requires real-world navigation and control
Operate ships or other watercraft.
#23809 · Core · 30% automatable
Stand watches on vessels during specified periods while vessels are under way.
situated mobility — Hazard detection in surroundings needs embodied sensing
Monitor surroundings to detect potential hazards.
#23810 · Core · 42% automatable
Inspect vessels to ensure efficient and safe operation of vessels and equipment and conformance to regulations.
visual inspection — Sensor/vision monitoring possible, but physical verification and accountability remain human
Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
#23811 · Core · 30% automatable
Read gauges to verify sufficient levels of hydraulic fluid, air pressure, or oxygen.
visual inspection — Gauge reading requires physical presence
Monitor equipment gauges or displays to ensure proper operation.
#23812 · Core · 55% automatable
Report to appropriate authorities any violations of federal or state pilotage laws.
interpersonal — Emergency notification needs live accountable delivery
Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
#23813 · Core · 10% automatable
Provide assistance in maritime rescue operations.
situated mobility — Assisting during emergencies requires physical presence
Assist others during emergencies.
#23814 · Core · 5% automatable
Signal passing vessels, using whistles, flashing lights, flags, or radios.
physical manipulation — Physical hand signals to direct vehicle movement
Signal others to coordinate vehicle movement.
#23815 · Core · 22% automatable
Measure depths of water, using depth-measuring equipment.
physical manipulation — Hands-on depth/level measurement in field
Measure the level or depth of water or other liquids.
#23817 · Core · 40% automatable
Signal crew members or deckhands to rig tow lines, open or close gates or ramps, or pull guard chains across entries.
interpersonal — Material-handling coordination tied to physical operations
Communicate with others to coordinate material handling or movement.
#23816 · Core · 8% automatable
Maintain boats or equipment on board, such as engines, winches, navigational systems, fire extinguishers, or life preservers.
physical manipulation — Hands-on marine engine maintenance
Maintain watercraft engines or machinery.
#23819 · Core · 82% automatable
Maintain records of daily activities, personnel reports, ship positions and movements, ports of call, weather and sea conditions, pollution control efforts, or cargo or passenger status.
text generation — Record travel operational details from provided info
Record operational details of travel.
#23818 · Core · 62% automatable
Advise ships' masters on harbor rules and customs procedures.
information retrieval — AI explains policies; human handles live questions
Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.
#23820 · Core · 40% automatable
Observe loading or unloading of cargo or equipment to ensure that handling and storage are performed according to specifications.
visual inspection — AI can review footage; human inspects physical workplace
Monitor work environment to ensure safety or adherence to specifications.
#23821 · Core · 85% automatable
Calculate sightings of land, using electronic sounding devices and following contour lines on charts.
data analysis — Computes coordinates from data deterministically
Determine geographic coordinates.
#23822 · Core · 70% automatable
Learn to operate new technology systems and procedures through instruction, simulators, or models.
information retrieval — AI supports study; certification requires human
Maintain professional knowledge or certifications.
#23823 · Core · 24% automatable
Direct or coordinate crew members or workers performing activities such as loading or unloading cargo, steering vessels, operating engines, or operating, maintaining, or repairing ship equipment.
physical manipulation — Directing repair activities requires hands-on site oversight
Direct maintenance or repair activities. Direct passenger or freight transport activities. Direct material handling or moving activities.
#23824 · Core · 65% automatable
Arrange for ships to be fueled, restocked with supplies, or repaired.
data analysis — AI schedules maintenance; human coordinates execution
Arrange maintenance activities.
#23825 · Core · 25% automatable
Supervise crews in cleaning or maintaining decks, superstructures, or bridges.
physical manipulation — Directing repair activities requires hands-on site oversight
Direct maintenance or repair activities.
#23826 · Core · 68% automatable
Purchase supplies or equipment.
decision support — Acquisition workflow aided; human commits resources
Acquire supplies or equipment.
#23827 · Supplemental · 7% automatable
Tow and maneuver barges or signal tugboats to tow barges to destinations.
situated mobility — Vessel operation requires real-world navigation and control
Operate ships or other watercraft. Signal others to coordinate vehicle movement.
#23828 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Perform various marine duties, such as checking for oil spills or other pollutants around ports or harbors or patrolling beaches.
situated mobility — Hazard detection in surroundings needs embodied sensing
Monitor surroundings to detect potential hazards.
#23829 · Supplemental · 25% automatable
Assign watches or living quarters to crew members.
situated mobility — Transport direction needs real-time operational control
Direct passenger or freight transport activities.
#23830 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Interview and hire crew members.
interpersonal — High-stakes personnel calls carry legal accountability
Recommend personnel decisions or human resources activities.
#23831 · Core · 50% automatable
Conduct safety drills such as man overboard or fire drills.
interpersonal — Training content AI-assisted; live instruction and demonstration human
Provide safety training.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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