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AI exposure Production

Will AI replace forging machine setters?

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic. US occupation 51-4022.

0.0%

of the time forging machine setters spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of forging machine setters' 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 forging machine settersWhat forging machine setters no longer do alone

O*NET lists 12 tasks for forging machine setters. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

12 of the 12 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications.Core task
  • Measure and inspect machined parts to ensure conformance to product specifications.Core task
  • Read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup.Core task
  • Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal.Core task
  • Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications.Core task
  • Trim and compress finished forgings to specified tolerances.Core task
Show the other 6
  • Turn handles or knobs to set pressures and depths of ram strokes and to synchronize machine operations.Core task
  • Install, adjust, and remove dies, synchronizing cams, forging hammers, and stop guides, using overhead cranes or other hoisting devices, and hand tools.
  • Position and move metal wires or workpieces through a series of dies that compress and shape stock to form die impressions.
  • Remove dies from machines when production runs are finished.
  • Repair, maintain, and replace parts on dies.
  • Select, align, and bolt positioning fixtures, stops, and specified dies to rams and anvils, forging rolls, or presses and hammers.

How that compares

Among the 98 production occupations, forging machine setters rank 44. 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%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Forest and Conservation Workers 0.0%
  2. 346Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists 0.0%
  3. 346Foresters 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.