AI exposure Production
Will AI replace cutting and slicing machine setters?
Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. US occupation 51-9032.
The reading
3.2%
of the time cutting and slicing machine setters spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of cutting and slicing machine setters' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 293 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 60% of them.Further along than 60% of them.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Around the middle of the pack.Keeping pace with the average job.
What AI already does for cutting and slicing machine settersWhat cutting and slicing machine setters no longer do alone
O*NET lists 28 tasks for cutting and slicing machine setters. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.
- Review work orders, blueprints, specifications, or job samples to determine components, settings, and adjustments for cutting and slicing machines.Core task mostly automated 1.00
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
27 of the 28 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Adjust machine controls to alter position, alignment, speed, or pressure.Core task
- Change or replace saw blades, cables, cutter heads, and grinding wheels, using hand tools.Core task
- Clean and lubricate cutting machines, conveyors, blades, saws, or knives, using steam hoses, scrapers, brushes, or oil cans.Core task
- Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices, such as rulers, micrometers, or scales.Core task
- Feed stock into cutting machines, onto conveyors, or under cutting blades, by threading, guiding, pushing, or turning handwheels.Core task
- Maintain production records, such as quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced.Core task
Show the other 21
- Mark cutting lines or identifying information on stock, using marking pencils, rulers, or scribes.Core task
- Monitor operation of cutting or slicing machines to detect malfunctions or to determine whether supplies need replenishment.Core task
- Move stock or scrap to and from machines manually, or by using carts, handtrucks, or lift trucks.Core task
- Position stock along cutting lines, or against stops on beds of scoring or cutting machines.Core task
- Press buttons, pull levers, or depress pedals to start and operate cutting and slicing machines.Core task
- Remove completed materials or products from cutting or slicing machines, and stack or store them for additional processing.Core task
- Remove defective or substandard materials from machines, and readjust machine components so that products meet standards.Core task
- Select and install machine components, such as cutting blades, rollers, and templates, according to specifications, using hand tools.Core task
- Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material.Core task
- Stack and sort cut material for packaging, further processing, or shipping, according to types and sizes of material.Core task
- Start machines to verify setups, and make any necessary adjustments.Core task
- Type instructions on computer keyboards, push buttons to activate computer programs, or manually set cutting guides, clamps, and knives.Core task
- Cut stock manually to prepare for machine cutting, using tools such as knives, cleavers, handsaws, or hammers and chisels.
- Direct workers on cutting teams.
- Operate cranes, or signal crane operators to position or remove stone from cars or saw beds.
- Position width gauge blocks between blades, and level blades and insert wedges into frames to secure blades to frames.
- Sharpen cutting blades, knives, or saws, using files, bench grinders, or honing stones.
- Start pumps to circulate water and abrasives onto blades or cables during cutting.
- Tighten pulleys or add abrasives to maintain cutting speeds.
- Turn cranks or press buttons to activate winches that move cars under sawing cables or saw frames.
- Wash stones, using water hoses.
How that compares
Among the 98 production occupations, cutting and slicing machine setters rank 10. The group averages 0.8%, and its most exposed job is Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers at 12.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
Just above in the ranking
- 290Chief Executives 3.3%
- 290Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other 3.3%
- 290Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers 3.3%
Just below
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.