Will AI Replace Roustabouts, Oil and Gas?

Unscrew or tighten pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Dismantle and repair oil field machinery, boilers, and steam engine parts, using hand tools and power tools.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Guide cranes to move loads about decks.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Walk flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repair the leaks.

Semi-structured cognitive task involving analysis, inspection, or monitoring.

Lay gas and oil pipelines.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Bolt together pump and engine parts.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Move pipes to and from trucks, using truck winches and motorized lifts, or by hand.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Clean trucks used in the fields.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Dig holes, set forms, and mix and pour concrete into forms to make foundations for wood or steel derricks.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Supply equipment to rig floors as requested and provide assistance to roughnecks.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Clean up spilled oil by bailing it into barrels.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Dig drainage ditches around wells and storage tanks.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Cut down and remove trees and brush to clear drill sites, to reduce fire hazards, and to make way for roads to sites.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.