AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

Task-level automation exposure for Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: 20 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

20 of 20 tasks scored

Median Salary

$51,610 / year

BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation

Employment Level

Medium

60,100 people hold this job — size, not growth

Projected 2025–35

-5.7% employment change

5,200 openings a year · BLS line item

Pay by state

BLS OEWS publishes 51 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.

$32,000 – $108,900

Highest medians

Wyoming $108,900

Nevada $62,960

New Hampshire $60,340

Wisconsin $60,100

Virginia $59,480

Lowest medians

Puerto Rico $32,000

West Virginia $35,870

New Mexico $41,370

Arkansas $41,720

Mississippi $43,890

State figures come from the 51-9012 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 63%

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

Judgment & influence 5%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 5%

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 31/100 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

20 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) 5%

1 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 5%

1 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 89%

18 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

#12357 · Core · 30% automatable

Monitor material flow or instruments, such as temperature or pressure gauges, indicators, or meters, to ensure optimal processing conditions.

visual inspection — Instrument monitoring needs physical sensor presence

Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.

#12365 · Core · 18% automatable

Inspect machines or equipment for hazards, operating efficiency, malfunctions, wear, or leaks.

visual inspection — Physical inspection of production machinery in situ

Inspect production equipment.

#12356 · Core · 17% automatable

Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure.

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.

#12360 · Core · 8% automatable

Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis.

physical manipulation — Manual product sampling

Collect samples of materials or products for testing.

#19918 · Core · 34% automatable

Operate machines to process materials in compliance with applicable safety, energy, or environmental regulations.

decision support — Maps facts to statutes; legal accountability stays human

Assess compliance with environmental laws. Maintain safety.

#12362 · Core · 22% automatable

Test samples to determine viscosity, acidity, specific gravity, or degree of concentration, using test equipment such as viscometers, pH meters, or hydrometers.

physical manipulation — Chemical/physical testing requires lab manipulation

Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.

#20827 · Core · 82% automatable

Maintain logs of instrument readings, test results, or shift production for entry in computer databases.

data analysis — Record production data into structured logs

Record operational or production data.

#12368 · Core · 55% automatable

Communicate processing instructions to other workers.

interpersonal — Colleague information exchange is relational, contextual

Exchange information with colleagues.

#12364 · Core · 5% automatable

Clean or sterilize tanks, screens, inflow pipes, production areas, or equipment, using hoses, brushes, scrapers, or chemical solutions.

physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of work areas

Clean work areas. Clean production equipment.

#20825 · Core · 22% automatable

Examine samples to verify qualities such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, dryness, or texture.

physical manipulation — Chemical/physical testing requires lab manipulation

Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.

#12363 · Core · 25% automatable

Measure or weigh materials to be refined, mixed, transferred, stored, or otherwise processed.

physical manipulation — Physical measuring and dispensing of ingredients

Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.

#12366 · Core · 4% automatable

Dump, pour, or load specified amounts of refined or unrefined materials into equipment or containers for further processing or storage.

physical manipulation — Hands-on loading of materials into equipment

Load materials into production equipment.

#20828 · Core · 4% automatable

Assemble fittings, valves, bowls, plates, disks, impeller shafts, or other parts to prepare equipment for operation.

physical manipulation — Machine tool assembly is skilled manual work

Assemble machine tools, parts, or fixtures.

#12372 · Core · 15% automatable

Turn valves to pump sterilizing solutions or rinse water through pipes or equipment or to spray vats with atomizers.

physical manipulation — Hands-on adjustment of liquid flow controls

Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids.

#20824 · Core · 15% automatable

Turn valves or move controls to admit, drain, separate, filter, clarify, mix, or transfer materials.

physical manipulation — Hands-on production flow control

Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products. Operate pumping systems or equipment. Operate mixing equipment.

#12369 · Core · 15% automatable

Remove clogs, defects, or impurities from machines, tanks, conveyors, screens, or other processing equipment.

physical manipulation — Physically clearing jams in machinery

Clear equipment jams.

#20826 · Core · 15% automatable

Start agitators, shakers, conveyors, pumps, or centrifuge machines.

physical manipulation — Pumping systems operated and adjusted in field

Operate pumping systems or equipment. Operate mixing equipment.

#12371 · Core · 8% automatable

Install, maintain, or repair hoses, pumps, filters, or screens to maintain processing equipment, using hand tools.

physical manipulation — Hands-on repair of production machinery

Install mechanical components in production equipment. Repair production equipment or tools. Maintain production or processing equipment.

#12367 · Core · 10% automatable

Connect pipes between vats and processing equipment.

physical manipulation — Connecting supply lines is physical fitting

Connect supply lines to production equipment or tools.

#12373 · Supplemental · 10% automatable

Remove full containers from discharge outlets and replace them with empty containers.

physical manipulation — Physical placement of containers for material flow

Position containers to receive materials or workpieces.

Embed this calculator on your site ↓

Bloggers & authors: Embed this interactive calculator directly in your articles or comparison guides. It loads dynamically via a responsive iframe (auto-resizing to prevent double scrollbars) and provides a direct, high-value tool for your audience.

<div class="giniloh-calculator-embed" data-calculator="separating-filtering-clarifying-precipitating-and-still-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders"></div>
<script src="https://giniloh.com/embed.js" async></script>

Community Sentiment

Do you agree?

Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?

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 →

Best AI Proof Jobs in a Changing Market

Worried robots are coming for your paycheck? You’re not alone—but the real story is far more hopeful. This guide cuts through the scare headlines to reveal exactly where smart, sustainable career opportunities exist right now. We’ve curated a list of true ai proof jobs—roles in healthcare, skilled trades, and cybersecurity that not only survive automation but thrive because of human judgment and empathy. You’ll get specific, money-making data on projected growth (the BLS says wind turbine technicians, for instance, will grow 44% by 2032), real salary ranges from active job listings, and a simple self-assessment quiz to identify your own most resilient path. Plus, we name companies hiring today and the niche job boards they use. Stop worrying and start planning—your secure career is closer than you think.

Read Article ->