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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?
Task-level automation exposure for Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: 17 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
17%
weighted task index
17 of 17 tasks scored
Median Salary
$49,080 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
4,680 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-9.5%
employment change
400 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 31 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$39,110 – $90,390
Highest medians
Virginia $90,390
Massachusetts $77,780
Idaho $69,590
Florida $66,340
Michigan $60,410
Lowest medians
Indiana $39,110
Connecticut $41,080
Iowa $43,860
Texas $44,350
Missouri $44,990
State figures come from the 51-4032 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 17%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 79%
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 0%
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 29/100
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
17 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) 7%
1 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 6%
1 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 87%
15 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
#11974 · Core · 28% automatable
Verify conformance of machined work to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as calipers, micrometers, or fixed or telescoping gauges.
physical manipulation — Hands-on dimensional measurement of workpieces
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
#11975 · Core · 71% automatable
Study machining instructions, job orders, or blueprints to determine dimensional or finish specifications, sequences of operations, setups, or tooling requirements.
information retrieval — Parse specs and materials from orders
Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements. Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements. Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
#11980 · Core · 12% automatable
Move machine controls to lower tools to workpieces and to engage automatic feeds.
physical manipulation — Drilling parts requires physical tool operation
Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
#11988 · Core · 6% automatable
Verify that workpiece reference lines are parallel to the axis of table rotation, using dial indicators mounted in spindles.
physical manipulation — Aligning parts for assembly needs hands and judgment
Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
#11983 · Core · 8% automatable
Establish zero reference points on workpieces, such as at the intersections of two edges or over hole locations.
physical manipulation — Drawing guide lines on materials is hands-on
Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
#11978 · Core · 10% automatable
Change worn cutting tools, using wrenches.
physical manipulation — Hands-on removal and fitting of worn components
Replace worn equipment components.
#11976 · Core · 15% automatable
Select and set cutting speeds, feed rates, depths of cuts, and cutting tools, according to machining instructions or knowledge of metal properties.
physical manipulation — Physical control setting for cutting
Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.
#11979 · Core · 5% automatable
Position and secure workpieces on tables, using bolts, jigs, clamps, shims, or other holding devices.
physical manipulation — Mounting workpieces is physical loading
Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
#11984 · Core · 38% automatable
Observe drilling or boring machine operations to detect any problems.
visual inspection — Malfunction detection relies on live physical observation
Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
#11985 · Core · 9% automatable
Lift workpieces onto work tables either manually or with hoists or direct crane operators to lift and position workpieces.
physical manipulation — Rigging and lifting loads with cranes is hands-on
Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment. Signal others to coordinate work activities.
#11981 · Core · 15% automatable
Turn valves and direct flow of coolants or cutting oil over cutting areas.
physical manipulation — Physical valve/control manipulation for coolant
Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.
#11977 · Core · 5% automatable
Install tools in spindles.
physical manipulation — Mounting tools requires hands-on setup
Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
#11987 · Core · 5% automatable
Perform minor assembly, such as fastening parts with nuts, bolts, or screws, using power tools or hand tools.
physical manipulation — Hands-on assembly of metal or plastic parts
Assemble metal or plastic parts or products.
#11982 · Core · 12% automatable
Operate single- or multiple-spindle drill presses to bore holes so that machining operations can be performed on metal or plastic workpieces.
physical manipulation — Drilling parts requires physical tool operation
Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
#11986 · Core · 8% automatable
Lay out reference lines and machining locations on work, using layout tools, and applying knowledge of shop math and layout techniques.
physical manipulation — Drawing guide lines on materials is hands-on
Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
#11990 · Core · 11% automatable
Sharpen cutting tools, using bench grinders.
physical manipulation — Grinding requires hands-on control and feel
Operate grinding equipment. Sharpen cutting or grinding tools.
#11989 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Operate tracing attachments to duplicate contours from templates or models.
physical manipulation — Drawing guide lines on materials is hands-on
Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
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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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