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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Model Makers, Metal and Plastic?
Task-level automation exposure for Model Makers, Metal and Plastic: 16 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
29%
weighted task index
16 of 16 tasks scored
Median Salary
$63,340 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
2,610 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-17.3%
employment change
200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 15 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$45,760 – $92,960
Highest medians
California $92,960
Florida $79,930
New York $77,710
New Jersey $72,340
Illinois $68,890
Lowest medians
North Carolina $45,760
Pennsylvania $52,990
Utah $53,650
Rhode Island $55,560
Michigan $60,540
State figures come from the 51-4061 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 29%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 60%
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 7%
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 20/100
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
16 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) 15%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 18%
3 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 68%
11 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
#12022 · Core · 73% automatable
Study blueprints, drawings, and sketches to determine material dimensions, required equipment, and operations sequences.
information retrieval — Parse specs and materials from orders
Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements. Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
#12023 · Core · 12% automatable
Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, drill presses, punch presses, or bandsaws, to fabricate prototypes or models.
physical manipulation — Metal and plastic forming equipment run by hand
Operate metal or plastic forming equipment. Operate cutting equipment.
#20924 · Core · 55% automatable
Program computer numerical control (CNC) machines to fabricate model parts.
decision support — Programming production equipment needs physical setup and verification
Program equipment to perform production tasks.
#12024 · Core · 25% automatable
Inspect and test products to verify conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments or circuit testers.
visual inspection — Material product inspection is physical and sensory
Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
#12025 · Core · 6% automatable
Cut, shape, and form metal parts, using lathes, power saws, snips, power brakes and shears, files, and mallets.
physical manipulation — Hands-on industrial material cutting
Shape metal workpieces with hammers or other small hand tools. Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
#12030 · Core · 10% automatable
Rework or alter component model or parts as required to ensure that products meet standards.
physical manipulation — Physical disassembly and reassembly of parts
Repair parts or assemblies.
#12027 · Core · 12% automatable
Drill, countersink, and ream holes in parts and assemblies for bolts, screws, and other fasteners, using power tools.
physical manipulation — Drilling parts requires physical tool operation
Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
#12028 · Core · 10% automatable
Grind, file, and sand parts to finished dimensions.
physical manipulation — Grinding requires hands-on control and feel
Smooth metal surfaces or edges. Operate grinding equipment.
#12034 · Core · 18% automatable
Devise and construct tools, dies, molds, jigs, and fixtures, or modify existing tools and equipment.
decision support — AI drafts tooling; machinist and engineer verify
Assemble machine tools, parts, or fixtures. Build production molds. Design tools, fixtures, or other devices for production equipment.
#12029 · Core · 82% automatable
Record specifications, production operations, and final dimensions of models for use in establishing operating standards and procedures.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#12031 · Core · 6% automatable
Align, fit, and join parts, using bolts and screws or by welding or gluing.
physical manipulation — Aligning parts for assembly needs hands and judgment
Assemble metal or plastic parts or products. Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
#12026 · Core · 8% automatable
Lay out and mark reference points and dimensions on materials, using measuring instruments and drawing or scribing tools.
physical manipulation — Drawing guide lines on materials is hands-on
Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
#12032 · Core · 55% automatable
Consult and confer with engineering personnel to discuss developmental problems and to recommend product modifications.
decision support — Diagnosis support good; physical resolution needs humans
Confer with others to resolve production problems or equipment malfunctions.
#20925 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Use computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software or hardware to fabricate model parts.
decision support — Programming production equipment needs physical setup and verification
Program equipment to perform production tasks.
#12033 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Assemble mechanical, electrical, and electronic components into models or prototypes, using hand tools, power tools, and fabricating machines.
physical manipulation — Hands-on assembly of metal or plastic parts
Assemble metal or plastic parts or products.
#12035 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Wire and solder electrical and electronic connections and components.
physical manipulation — Soldering requires fine manual dexterity
Solder parts or workpieces.
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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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