COOKEDthe AI job-risk monitorSYSTEM LIVE
◀ scan anotherLATHE AND TURNING MACHINE TOOL SETTERS, OPERATORS, AND TENDERS, METAL AND PLASTICshare ⧉
EXPOSURE TO AI
16%
RESILIENT
OBSERVED IN REAL USE · Anthropic 2026
0%
of this role’s work is already showing up in real Claude usage (Anthropic Economic Index).
Certified irreplaceable. For now, gloriously human.

16% of this role’s O*NET tasks are within reach of today’s AI. That is the core-weighted exposure score from Eloundou et al. 2023 (“GPTs are GPTs”). It measures a capability ceiling, not a headcount forecast. Certified hard to automate. Today’s AI barely touches the core of this one.

WHAT AI CAN ALREADY DO
  • Select cutting tools and tooling instructions, according to written specifications or knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics
  • Compute unspecified dimensions and machine settings, using knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics
  • Study blueprints, layouts or charts, and job orders for information on specifications and tooling instructions, and to determine material requirements and operational sequences
WHAT IT STILL CAN’T
  • Adjust machine controls and change tool settings to keep dimensions within specified tolerances
  • Replace worn tools, and sharpen dull cutting tools and dies, using bench grinders or cutter-grinding machines
  • Inspect sample workpieces to verify conformance with specifications, using instruments such as gauges, micrometers, and dial indicators
  • Start lathe or turning machines and observe operations to ensure that specifications are met
  • Position, secure, and align cutting tools in toolholders on machines, using hand tools, and verify their positions with measuring instruments
THE HONEST PART. A percentage is not a pink slip. High exposure usually means a role shrinks and shifts toward judgment, direction and responsibility: the parts a model can’t sign its name to. Exposure ≠ displacement. Breathe.
SOURCES: O*NET 30.3 occupational tasks · Eloundou et al. 2023 (“GPTs are GPTs”,arXiv:2303.10130) · Anthropic Economic Index 2026 (CC-BY)  | how this is calculated  | last updated 2026-07-16