AI exposure Transportation and material moving
Will AI replace air traffic controllers?
Air Traffic Controllers. US occupation 53-2021.
The reading
0.0%
of the time air traffic controllers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of air traffic controllers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.
What AI already does for air traffic controllersWhat air traffic controllers no longer do alone
O*NET lists 22 tasks for air traffic controllers. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
22 of the 22 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties.Core task
- Analyze factors such as weather reports, fuel requirements, or maps to determine air routes.Core task
- Check conditions and traffic at different altitudes in response to pilots' requests for altitude changes.Core task
- Compile information about flights from flight plans, pilot reports, radar, or observations.Core task
- Complete daily activity reports and keep records of messages from aircraft.Core task
- Conduct pre-flight briefings on weather conditions, suggested routes, altitudes, indications of turbulence, or other flight safety information.Core task
Show the other 16
- Contact pilots by radio to provide meteorological, navigational, or other information.Core task
- Determine the timing or procedures for flight vector changes.Core task
- Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land.Core task
- Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.Core task
- Initiate or coordinate searches for missing aircraft.Core task
- Inspect, adjust, or control radio equipment or airport lights.Core task
- Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.Core task
- Maintain radio or telephone contact with adjacent control towers, terminal control units, or other area control centers to coordinate aircraft movement.Core task
- Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.Core task
- Organize flight plans or traffic management plans to prepare for planes about to enter assigned airspace.Core task
- Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations.Core task
- Provide on-the-job training to new air traffic controllers.Core task
- Relay air traffic information, such as courses, altitudes, or expected arrival times, to control centers.Core task
- Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.Core task
- Direct ground traffic, including taxiing aircraft, maintenance or baggage vehicles, or airport workers.
- Review records or reports for clarity and completeness and maintain records or reports, as required under federal law.
How that compares
Among the 44 transportation and material moving occupations, air traffic controllers rank 5. The group averages 0.6%, and its most exposed job is Passenger Attendants at 11.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Level with 0.0%
What this does and does not mean
Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.
A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.
Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.