AI exposure Construction and extraction
Will AI replace explosives workers?
Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters. US occupation 47-5032.
The reading
0.0%
of the time explosives workers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of explosives workers' 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 explosives workersWhat explosives workers no longer do alone
O*NET lists 27 tasks for explosives workers. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
27 of the 27 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Assemble and position equipment, explosives, and blasting caps in holes at specified depths, or load perforating guns or torpedoes with explosives.Core task
- Compile and keep gun and explosives records in compliance with local and federal laws.Core task
- Connect electrical wire to primers, and cover charges or fill blast holes with clay, drill chips, sand, or other material.Core task
- Cut specified lengths of primacord and attach primers to cord ends.Core task
- Drive trucks to transport explosives and blasting equipment to blasting sites.Core task
- Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed.Core task
Show the other 21
- Insert, pack, and pour explosives, such as dynamite, ammonium nitrate, black powder, or slurries into blast holes; then shovel drill cuttings, admit water into boreholes, and tamp material to compact charges.Core task
- Lay primacord between rows of charged blast holes, and tie cord into main lines to form blast patterns.Core task
- Light fuses, drop detonating devices into wells or boreholes, or activate firing devices with plungers, dials, or buttons, in order to set off single or multiple blasts.Core task
- Maintain inventory levels, ordering new supplies as necessary.Core task
- Mark patterns, locations, and depths of charge holes for drilling, and issue drilling instructions.Core task
- Measure depths of drilled blast holes, using weighted tape measures.Core task
- Move and store inventories of explosives, loaded perforating guns, and other materials, according to established safety procedures.Core task
- Place explosive charges in holes or other spots; then detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials.Core task
- Place safety cones around blast areas to alert other workers of danger zones, and signal workers as necessary to ensure that they clear blast sites prior to explosions.Core task
- Repair and service blasting, shooting, and automotive equipment, and electrical wiring and instruments, using hand tools.Core task
- Tie specified lengths of delaying fuses into patterns in order to time sequences of explosions.Core task
- Verify detonation of charges by observing control panels, or by listening for the sounds of blasts.Core task
- Clean, gauge, and lubricate gun ports.
- Create and lay out designs for drill and blast patterns.
- Document geological formations encountered during work.
- Insert waterproof sealers, bullets, and/or powder charges into guns, and screw gun ports back into place.
- Lower perforating guns into wells, using hoists; then use measuring devices and instrument panels to position guns in correct positions for taking samples.
- Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.
- Set up and operate equipment such as hoists, jackhammers, and drills, in order to bore charge holes.
- Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information.
- Signal crane operators to move equipment.
How that compares
Among the 56 construction and extraction occupations, explosives workers rank 20. The group averages 0.4%, and its most exposed job is Structural Iron and Steel Workers at 4.9%. 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.