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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders?
Task-level automation exposure for Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders: 18 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
18 of 18 tasks scored
Median Salary
$41,330 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
6,900 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+5.9%
employment change
800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 34 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$31,700 – $68,170
Highest medians
Nebraska $68,170
Iowa $62,520
Indiana $55,730
Missouri $53,940
New Jersey $51,460
Lowest medians
Michigan $31,700
Alabama $35,280
Virginia $35,370
Texas $35,810
Tennessee $37,780
State figures come from the 51-9193 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 84%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 0%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 8%
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 27/100
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
18 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) 8%
1 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 6%
1 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 86%
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 →Constituent Tasks
#8544 · Core · 82% automatable
Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#8543 · Core · 30% automatable
Monitor pressure gauges, ammeters, flowmeters, thermometers, or products, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions, such as feed rate, product consistency, temperature, air pressure, and machine speed.
visual inspection — Instrument monitoring needs physical sensor presence
Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.
#8545 · Core · 28% automatable
Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures.
visual inspection — Sensor/vision monitoring possible, but physical verification and accountability remain human
Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning. Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
#8547 · Core · 16% automatable
Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes.
physical manipulation — Manual temperature control adjustment
Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products. Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment. Operate pumping systems or equipment.
#8546 · Core · 40% automatable
Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary.
text generation — Notifying maintenance needs is routine messaging
Clear equipment jams. Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
#8548 · Core · 5% automatable
Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools.
physical manipulation — Physical component installation
Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems. Install mechanical components in production equipment.
#8553 · Supplemental · 14% automatable
Measure or weigh specified amounts of ingredients or materials, and load them into tanks, vats, hoppers, or other equipment.
physical manipulation — Physical measuring and dispensing of ingredients
Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes. Load materials into production equipment.
#8542 · Supplemental · 15% automatable
Adjust machine or freezer speed and air intake to obtain desired consistency and amount of product.
physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance
Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.
#8550 · Supplemental · 19% automatable
Weigh packages and adjust freezer air valves or switches on filler heads to obtain specified amounts of product in each container.
physical manipulation — Physically weighing finished products on scale
Weigh finished products. Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
#8557 · Supplemental · 4% automatable
Inspect and flush lines with solutions or steam, and spray equipment with sterilizing solutions.
physical manipulation — Manual sterilization of cooking equipment
Sterilize food cooking or processing equipment.
#8554 · Supplemental · 4% automatable
Load and position wrapping paper, sticks, bags, or cartons into dispensing machines.
physical manipulation — Hands-on loading of materials into equipment
Load materials into production equipment.
#8559 · Supplemental · 15% automatable
Sample and test product characteristics such as specific gravity, acidity, and sugar content, using hydrometers, pH meters, or refractometers.
physical manipulation — Chemical/physical testing requires lab manipulation
Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products. Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
#8552 · Supplemental · 15% automatable
Start agitators to blend contents, or start beater, scraper, and expeller blades to mix contents with air and prevent sticking.
physical manipulation — Hands-on operation of mixing machinery
Operate mixing equipment.
#8555 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Insert forming fixtures, and start machines that cut frozen products into measured portions or specified shapes.
physical manipulation — Mounting tools requires hands-on setup
Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
#8556 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Place or position containers into equipment, and remove containers after completion of cooling or freezing processes.
physical manipulation — Physical placement of containers for material flow
Position containers to receive materials or workpieces.
#8549 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Scrape, dislodge, or break excess frost, ice, or frozen product from equipment to prevent accumulation, using hands and hand tools.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of equipment in unstructured settings
Clean production equipment.
#8560 · Supplemental · 15% automatable
Activate mechanical rakes to regulate flow of ice from storage bins to vats.
physical manipulation — Physical valve/control manipulation for coolant
Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.
#8551 · Supplemental · 12% automatable
Stir material with spoons or paddles to mix ingredients or allow even cooling and prevent coagulation.
physical manipulation — Physical mixing of chemical solutions
Mix substances to create chemical solutions.
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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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