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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Commercial Divers?
Task-level automation exposure for Commercial Divers: 24 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
21%
weighted task index
24 of 24 tasks scored
Median Salary
$72,990 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
3,450 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+4.8%
employment change
400 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 19 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$46,490 – $161,800
Highest medians
Washington $161,800
New York $157,800
Rhode Island $126,320
California $101,540
Hawaii $95,750
Lowest medians
Texas $46,490
South Carolina $49,260
Florida $49,640
Michigan $54,620
Connecticut $59,690
State figures come from the 49-9092 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 21%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 53%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 9%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 9%
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 46/100
Moderate
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
24 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) 0%
0 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 30%
6 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 70%
18 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
#13856 · Core · 10% automatable
Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order. Maintain work equipment or machinery.
#13855 · Core · 42% automatable
Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
visual inspection — AI reviews records; human observes physical procedures
Monitor work areas or procedures to ensure compliance with safety procedures.
#13854 · Core · 45% automatable
Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.
interpersonal — Install/repair coordination is situated teamwork
Communicate with coworkers to coordinate installations or repairs.
#13857 · Core · 5% automatable
Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.
situated mobility — Physical travel to sites requires human mobility
Travel to work sites to perform installation, repair or maintenance work.
#13859 · Core · 29% automatable
Inspect and test docks, ships, buoyage systems, plant intakes or outflows, or underwater pipelines, cables, or sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.
visual inspection — System checks partly aided by telemetry, still human-verified
Inspect systems to determine if they are operating properly. Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
#13858 · Core · 45% automatable
Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.
situated mobility — Work conditions require physical site assessment
Gather information about work conditions or locations.
#20809 · Core · 30% automatable
Inspect the condition of underwater steel or wood structures.
visual inspection — System checks partly aided by telemetry, still human-verified
Inspect systems to determine if they are operating properly.
#13866 · Core · 35% automatable
Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, or related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.
visual inspection — Capturing relevant images in field is human act
Record images needed to address work issues.
#13860 · Core · 8% automatable
Repair ships, bridge foundations, or other structures below the water line, using caulk, bolts, and hand tools.
physical manipulation — Hands-on automotive component repair
Repair non-engine automotive or vehicle components.
#13861 · Core · 5% automatable
Cut and weld steel, using underwater welding equipment, jigs, and supports.
physical manipulation — Manual welding requires dexterity and live judgment
Operate welding equipment.
#13872 · Core · 28% automatable
Carry out non-destructive testing, such as tests for cracks on the legs of oil rigs at sea.
physical manipulation — Hands-on mechanical testing in physical environment
Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
#13864 · Core · 35% automatable
Take test samples or photographs to assess the condition of vessels or structures.
visual inspection — Capturing relevant images in field is human act
Record images needed to address work issues.
#13871 · Core · 36% automatable
Supervise or train other divers, including hobby divers.
interpersonal — Operational training requires live human delivery
Train others in operational procedures. Supervise employees.
#13870 · Core · 10% automatable
Perform activities related to underwater search and rescue, salvage, recovery, or cleanup operations.
situated mobility — Emergency response needs physical action in the world
Respond to emergencies to provide assistance.
#13862 · Core · 7% automatable
Recover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects.
physical manipulation — Crane/hoist operation demands real-time physical control
Attach rigging to objects so they can be moved. Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
#13865 · Core · 8% automatable
Install, inspect, clean, or repair piping or valves.
physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order. Install piping for installation or maintenance activities. Repair pipes to stop leaking.
#13869 · Core · 8% automatable
Set or guide placement of pilings or sandbags to provide support for structures, such as docks, bridges, cofferdams, or platforms.
physical manipulation — Heavy structural foundation work needs hands-on construction
Install structural foundations.
#13863 · Core · 8% automatable
Install pilings or footings for piers or bridges.
physical manipulation — Heavy structural foundation work needs hands-on construction
Install structural foundations.
#13868 · Core · 10% automatable
Salvage wrecked ships or their cargo, using pneumatic power velocity and hydraulic tools and explosive charges, when necessary.
physical manipulation — Crane/hoist operation demands real-time physical control
Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
#13867 · Core · 10% automatable
Remove obstructions from strainers or marine railway or launching ways, using pneumatic or power hand tools.
physical manipulation — Structural repair is hands-on physical work
Repair structural components.
#13873 · Supplemental · 12% automatable
Drill holes in rock and rig explosives for underwater demolitions.
physical manipulation — Drilling parts requires physical tool operation
Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
#13874 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Remove rubbish or pollution from the sea.
physical manipulation — Decontamination requires physical handling of hazards
Decontaminate equipment or sites to remove hazardous or toxic substances.
#13875 · Supplemental · 14% automatable
Perform offshore oil or gas exploration or extraction duties, such as conducting underwater surveys or repairing and maintaining drilling rigs or platforms.
situated mobility — Field survey of land/water bodies
Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features. Repair production equipment or tools.
#13876 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Cultivate or harvest marine species or perform routine work on fish farms.
situated mobility — Farming equipment operation in unstructured fields
Harvest agricultural products. Perform manual agricultural, aquacultural, or horticultural tasks. Operate farming equipment.
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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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