How over is it?

A mood ring wired to real instruments

AI exposure Food preparation and serving

Will AI replace cooks?

Cooks, Short Order. US occupation 35-2015.

0.0%

of the time cooks spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of cooks' 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 cooksWhat cooks no longer do alone

O*NET lists 11 tasks for cooks. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

11 of the 11 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Clean food preparation equipment, work areas, and counters or tables.Core task
  • Complete orders from steam tables, placing food on plates and serving customers at tables or counters.Core task
  • Grill, cook, and fry foods such as french fries, eggs, and pancakes.Core task
  • Perform food preparation tasks, such as making sandwiches, carving meats, making soups or salads, baking breads or desserts, and brewing coffee or tea.Core task
  • Perform general cleaning activities in kitchen and dining areas.Core task
  • Plan work on orders so that items served together are finished at the same time.Core task
Show the other 5
  • Restock kitchen supplies, rotate food, and stamp the time and date on food in coolers.Core task
  • Take orders from customers and cook foods requiring short preparation times, according to customer requirements.Core task
  • Accept payments, and make change or write charge slips as necessary.
  • Grill and garnish hamburgers or other meats, such as steaks and chops.
  • Order supplies and stock them on shelves.

How that compares

Among the 15 food preparation and serving occupations, cooks rank 9. The group averages 0.9%, and its most exposed job is Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop at 7.3%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Cooks, Fast Food 0.0%
  2. 346Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 0.0%
  3. 346Cooks, Private Household 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.