Community Sentiment
Do you agree?
Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Chefs and Head Cooks?
Task-level automation exposure for Chefs and Head Cooks: 21 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
43%
weighted task index
21 of 21 tasks scored
Median Salary
$62,470 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
200,040 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+6.6%
employment change
25,200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 53 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$30,800 – $79,930
Highest medians
Rhode Island $79,930
Hawaii $77,360
District of Columbia $76,420
Washington $76,010
North Dakota $74,740
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $30,800
Louisiana $45,570
Arkansas $46,170
Iowa $47,990
Kentucky $48,070
State figures come from the 35-1011 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 43%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 4%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 56%
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 13/100
Low
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
21 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) 22%
5 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 33%
7 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 46%
9 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 →Constituent Tasks
#11129 · Core · 38% automatable
Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
situated mobility — Live monitoring of people in physical settings
Monitor activities of individuals to ensure safety or compliance with rules.
#11135 · Core · 30% automatable
Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
physical manipulation — Food prep training is hands-on demonstration
Train food preparation or food service personnel.
#11132 · Core · 30% automatable
Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
interpersonal — Coordinating food service staff is live supervisory work
Coordinate activities of food service staff.
#11131 · Core · 75% automatable
Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
decision support — Ordering via systems automatable; human approves spend
Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
#11133 · Core · 22% automatable
Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
visual inspection — Physical conformance inspection of facilities/equipment
Inspect facilities, equipment or supplies to ensure conformance to standards.
#11130 · Core · 20% automatable
Check the quantity and quality of received products.
visual inspection — Food/supply quality check is sensory and physical
Check quality of foods or supplies.
#11128 · Core · 20% automatable
Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
visual inspection — Food/supply quality check is sensory and physical
Check quality of foods or supplies.
#11136 · Core · 58% automatable
Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
data analysis — Food prep estimates from menus; chef adjusts
Estimate supplies, ingredients, or staff requirements for food preparation activities.
#11148 · Core · 28% automatable
Coordinate planning, budgeting, or purchasing for all the food operations within establishments such as clubs, hotels, or restaurant chains.
interpersonal — Food service management is live operational leadership
Manage food service operations or parts of operations.
#11138 · Core · 68% automatable
Analyze recipes to assign prices to menu items, based on food, labor, and overhead costs.
decision support — Menu pricing aided; owner decides strategy
Determine prices for menu items.
#11147 · Core · 34% automatable
Plan, direct, or supervise food preparation or cooking activities of multiple kitchens or restaurants in an establishment such as a restaurant chain, hospital, or hotel.
decision support — Timing coordination aided by AI; kitchen execution human
Coordinate timing of food production activities. Manage food service operations or parts of operations.
#11134 · Core · 40% automatable
Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays.
decision support — Recipe ideas generated; taste and kitchen execution human
Create new recipes or food presentations.
#11139 · Core · 6% automatable
Prepare and cook foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions.
physical manipulation — Cooking requires hands-on manipulation of real food
Cook foods.
#11140 · Core · 40% automatable
Determine production schedules and staff requirements necessary to ensure timely delivery of services.
decision support — Timing coordination aided by AI; kitchen execution human
Coordinate timing of food production activities.
#11142 · Core · 55% automatable
Meet with customers to discuss menus for special occasions, such as weddings, parties, or banquets.
decision support — Event planning drafts; logistics and vendors need humans
Plan special events. Communicate with customers to resolve complaints or ensure satisfaction.
#11141 · Core · 45% automatable
Recruit and hire staff, such as cooks and other kitchen workers.
decision support — Broad HR work needs human judgment and accountability
Perform human resources activities.
#11146 · Core · 82% automatable
Record production or operational data on specified forms.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#11144 · Core · 75% automatable
Meet with sales representatives to negotiate prices or order supplies.
decision support — Ordering via systems automatable; human approves spend
Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
#11145 · Core · 68% automatable
Arrange for equipment purchases or repairs.
data analysis — AI plans maintenance timing; human confirms constraints
Schedule equipment maintenance.
#11143 · Core · 30% automatable
Demonstrate new cooking techniques or equipment to staff.
physical manipulation — Food prep training is hands-on demonstration
Train food preparation or food service personnel.
#11137 · Core · 55% automatable
Collaborate with other personnel to plan and develop recipes or menus, taking into account such factors as seasonal availability of ingredients or the likely number of customers.
text generation — Menu drafts aided; cost and kitchen constraints human
Plan menu options.
Embed this calculator on your site ↓
Bloggers & authors: Embed this interactive calculator directly in your articles or comparison guides. It loads dynamically via a responsive iframe (auto-resizing to prevent double scrollbars) and provides a direct, high-value tool for your audience.
<div class="giniloh-calculator-embed" data-calculator="chefs-and-head-cooks"></div>
<script src="https://giniloh.com/embed.js" async></script> Method
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
See the full method →Related Article
Best AI Proof Jobs in a Changing Market
Worried robots are coming for your paycheck? You’re not alone—but the real story is far more hopeful. This guide cuts through the scare headlines to reveal exactly where smart, sustainable career opportunities exist right now. We’ve curated a list of true ai proof jobs—roles in healthcare, skilled trades, and cybersecurity that not only survive automation but thrive because of human judgment and empathy. You’ll get specific, money-making data on projected growth (the BLS says wind turbine technicians, for instance, will grow 44% by 2032), real salary ranges from active job listings, and a simple self-assessment quiz to identify your own most resilient path. Plus, we name companies hiring today and the niche job boards they use. Stop worrying and start planning—your secure career is closer than you think.
Read Article ->