AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic?

Task-level automation exposure for Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic: 21 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

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Automation Exposure

29% weighted task index

21 of 21 tasks scored

Median Salary

$47,180 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

High

124,590 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

+0.6% employment change

11,600 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 46 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$28,770 – $76,080

Highest medians

West Virginia $76,080

Kentucky $54,960

Missouri $53,160

Maryland $51,780

Nebraska $50,960

Lowest medians

Puerto Rico $28,770

Mississippi $36,330

Rhode Island $38,720

Georgia $38,810

Wyoming $40,000

State figures come from the 51-4081 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 63%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 15%

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 2/100 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) 18%

4 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 20%

4 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 63%

13 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

#10206 · Core · 28% automatable

Inspect workpieces for defects, and measure workpieces to determine accuracy of machine operation, using rules, templates, or other measuring instruments.

physical manipulation — Hands-on dimensional measurement of workpieces

Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

#10210 · Core · 5% automatable

Position, adjust, and secure stock material or workpieces against stops, on arbors, or in chucks, fixtures, or automatic feeding mechanisms, manually or using hoists.

physical manipulation — Mounting workpieces is physical loading

Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.

#10208 · Core · 73% automatable

Read blueprints or job orders to determine product specifications and tooling instructions and to plan operational 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.

#10211 · Core · 25% automatable

Select, install, and adjust alignment of drills, cutters, dies, guides, and holding devices, using templates, measuring instruments, and hand tools.

decision support — Equipment selection against specs; human verifies fit

Select production equipment according to product specifications. Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment. Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.

#10207 · Core · 38% automatable

Observe machine operation to detect workpiece defects or machine malfunctions, adjusting machines as necessary.

visual inspection — Malfunction detection relies on live physical observation

Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.

#10209 · Core · 12% automatable

Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, cutters, shears, borers, millers, grinders, presses, drills, or auxiliary machines, to make metallic and plastic workpieces.

physical manipulation — Grinding requires hands-on control and feel

Operate grinding equipment. Operate cutting equipment.

#10212 · Core · 10% automatable

Change worn machine accessories, such as cutting tools or brushes, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Hands-on removal and fitting of worn components

Replace worn equipment components.

#10221 · Core · 5% automatable

Set machine stops or guides to specified lengths as indicated by scales, rules, or templates.

physical manipulation — Manual fixture adjustment

Set equipment guides, stops, spacers, or other fixtures.

#10216 · Core · 35% automatable

Select the proper coolants and lubricants and start their flow.

decision support — Input material selection from specs; human approves

Select production input materials. Operate metal or plastic forming equipment.

#10217 · Core · 10% automatable

Remove burrs, sharp edges, rust, or scale from workpieces, using files, hand grinders, wire brushes, or power tools.

physical manipulation — Grinding requires hands-on control and feel

Smooth metal surfaces or edges. Operate grinding equipment.

#10215 · Core · 8% automatable

Perform minor machine maintenance, such as oiling or cleaning machines, dies, or workpieces, or adding coolant to machine reservoirs.

physical manipulation — Physical production equipment maintenance

Clean production equipment. Maintain production or processing equipment. Lubricate production equipment.

#10213 · Core · 38% automatable

Make minor electrical and mechanical repairs and adjustments to machines and notify supervisors when major service is required.

text generation — Notifying maintenance needs is routine messaging

Repair production equipment or tools. Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.

#10223 · Core · 72% automatable

Compute data, such as gear dimensions or machine settings, applying knowledge of shop mathematics.

data analysis — Dimension calculations from given specs

Calculate dimensions of workpieces, products, or equipment.

#10214 · Core · 15% automatable

Start machines and turn handwheels or valves to engage feeding, cooling, and lubricating mechanisms.

physical manipulation — Hands-on production flow control

Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products. Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow. Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids.

#10222 · Core · 10% automatable

Move controls or mount gears, cams, or templates in machines to set feed rates and cutting speeds, depths, and angles.

physical manipulation — Physical control setting for cutting

Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment. Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.

#10218 · Core · 35% automatable

Instruct other workers in machine set-up and operation.

interpersonal — Equipment instruction requires live demonstration and correction

Instruct workers to use equipment or perform technical procedures.

#10219 · Core · 82% automatable

Record operational data, such as pressure readings, lengths of strokes, feed rates, or speeds.

data analysis — Record production data into structured logs

Record operational or production data.

#10220 · Core · 15% automatable

Extract or lift jammed pieces from machines, using fingers, wire hooks, or lift bars.

physical manipulation — Physically clearing jams in machinery

Clear equipment jams.

#10225 · Supplemental · 22% automatable

Measure and mark reference points and cutting lines on workpieces, using traced templates, compasses, and rules.

physical manipulation — Marking reference points requires hands-on measurement

Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators.

#23937 · Supplemental · 69% automatable

Write programs for computer numerical control (CNC) machines to cut metal and plastic materials.

text generation — Code generation strong; human reviews and integrates

Program equipment to perform production tasks. Write computer programming code.

#10224 · Supplemental · 6% automatable

Align layout marks with dies or blades.

physical manipulation — Aligning parts for assembly needs hands and judgment

Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.

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Community Sentiment

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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 →

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