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AI exposure Transportation and material moving

Will AI replace bridge and lock tenders?

Bridge and Lock Tenders. US occupation 53-6011.

0.0%

of the time bridge and lock tenders spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of bridge and lock tenders' 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.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for bridge and lock tendersWhat bridge and lock tenders no longer do alone

O*NET lists 18 tasks for bridge and lock tenders. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

18 of the 18 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.Core task
  • Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.Core task
  • Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions.Core task
  • Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms.Core task
  • Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass.Core task
  • Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces.Core task
Show the other 12
  • Perform maintenance duties, such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order.Core task
  • Prepare accident reports.Core task
  • Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.Core task
  • Write and submit maintenance work requisitions.Core task
  • Attach ropes or cable lines to bitts on lock decks or wharfs to secure vessels.
  • Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening.
  • Clean and lubricate equipment, and make minor repairs and adjustments.
  • Inspect canal and bridge equipment, and areas, such as roadbeds, for damage or defects, reporting problems to supervisors as necessary.
  • Maintain and guard stations in bridges to check waterways for boat traffic.
  • Raise drawbridges and observe passage of water traffic or lower drawbridges and raise automobile gates.
  • Stop automobile and pedestrian traffic on bridges, and lower automobile gates prior to moving bridges.
  • Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.

How that compares

Among the 44 transportation and material moving occupations, bridge and lock tenders rank 10. The group averages 0.6%, and its most exposed job is Passenger Attendants at 11.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Bicycle Repairers 0.0%
  2. 346Boilermakers 0.0%
  3. 346Brickmasons and Blockmasons 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.