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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Tool and Die Makers?
Task-level automation exposure for Tool and Die Makers: 17 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
27%
weighted task index
17 of 17 tasks scored
Median Salary
$64,050 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
56,930 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-9.2%
employment change
4,300 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.
$37,820 – $109,390
Highest medians
Washington $109,390
Kansas $83,890
Maine $79,910
Connecticut $77,540
California $77,030
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $37,820
West Virginia $46,190
Louisiana $46,950
New Mexico $47,960
Texas $55,470
State figures come from the 51-4111 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 27%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 46%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 6%
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 26/100
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) 13%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 15%
3 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 72%
12 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 →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 08/2021 · Incumbent
Troubleshoot malfunctions in manufacturing equipment.
Constituent Tasks
#8490 · Core · 28% automatable
Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.
physical manipulation — Hands-on dimensional measurement of workpieces
Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.
#8492 · Core · 12% automatable
Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes.
physical manipulation — Metal and plastic forming equipment run by hand
Operate metal or plastic forming equipment. Operate grinding equipment.
#8491 · Core · 72% automatable
Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.
data analysis — Dimension calculations from given specs
Calculate dimensions of workpieces, products, or equipment.
#8489 · Core · 66% automatable
Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.
visual inspection — Blueprints need spatial reading, human verifies sequence
Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
#23938 · Core · 6% automatable
Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders.
physical manipulation — Physical disassembly and reassembly of parts
Assemble machine tools, parts, or fixtures. Operate welding equipment. Repair parts or assemblies.
#8496 · Core · 25% automatable
Inspect finished dies for smoothness, contour conformity, and defects.
visual inspection — Material product inspection is physical and sensory
Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products.
#8502 · Core · 58% automatable
Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness or heat tolerance.
decision support — Input material selection from specs; human approves
Select production input materials.
#8498 · Core · 8% automatable
Lift, position, and secure machined parts on surface plates or worktables, using hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates.
physical manipulation — Rigging and lifting loads with cranes is hands-on
Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment. Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment.
#8493 · Core · 10% automatable
File, grind, shim, and adjust different parts to properly fit them together.
physical manipulation — Grinding requires hands-on control and feel
Smooth metal surfaces or edges. Operate grinding equipment.
#8497 · Core · 9% automatable
Smooth and polish flat and contoured surfaces of parts or tools, using scrapers, abrasive stones, files, emery cloths, or power grinders.
physical manipulation — Grinding requires hands-on control and feel
Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products. Smooth metal surfaces or edges. Operate grinding equipment.
#8499 · Core · 22% automatable
Measure, mark, and scribe metal or plastic stock to lay out machining, using instruments such as protractors, micrometers, scribes, or rulers.
physical manipulation — Marking reference points requires hands-on measurement
Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators.
#8495 · Core · 28% automatable
Conduct test runs with completed tools or dies to ensure that parts meet specifications, making adjustments as necessary.
physical manipulation — Operating production equipment physically on site
Inspect metal, plastic, or composite products. Conduct test runs of production equipment.
#8501 · Core · 45% automatable
Design jigs, fixtures, and templates for use as work aids in the fabrication of parts or products.
decision support — AI drafts tooling; machinist and engineer verify
Design tools, fixtures, or other devices for production equipment.
#8500 · Core · 6% automatable
Cut, shape, and trim blanks or blocks to specified lengths or shapes, using power saws, power shears, rules, and hand tools.
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.
#8503 · Core · 12% automatable
Set up and operate drill presses to drill and tap holes in parts for assembly.
physical manipulation — Drilling parts requires physical tool operation
Drill holes in parts, equipment, or materials.
#8504 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Develop and design new tools and dies, using computer-aided design software.
decision support — AI drafts tooling; machinist and engineer verify
Design tools, fixtures, or other devices for production equipment.
#8505 · Supplemental · 12% automatable
Set pyrometer controls of heat-treating furnaces and feed or place parts, tools, or assemblies into furnaces to harden.
physical manipulation — Manual temperature control adjustment
Feed materials or products into or through equipment. Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
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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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