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AI exposure Construction and extraction

Will AI replace paving?

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators. US occupation 47-2071.

0.0%

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

O*NET lists 20 tasks for paving. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

20 of the 20 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Control paving machines to push dump trucks and to maintain a constant flow of asphalt or other material into hoppers or screeds.Core task
  • Control traffic.Core task
  • Coordinate truck dumping.Core task
  • Drive machines onto truck trailers, and drive trucks to transport machines and material to and from job sites.Core task
  • Fill tanks, hoppers, or machines with paving materials.Core task
  • Inspect, clean, maintain, and repair equipment, using mechanics' hand tools, or report malfunctions to supervisors.Core task
Show the other 14
  • Light burners or start heating units of machines, and regulate screed temperatures and asphalt flow rates.Core task
  • Observe distribution of paving material to adjust machine settings or material flow, and indicate low spots for workers to add material.Core task
  • Operate machines to spread, smooth, level, or steel-reinforce stone, concrete, or asphalt on road beds.Core task
  • Operate oil distributors, loaders, chip spreaders, dump trucks, and snow plows.Core task
  • Operate tamping machines or manually roll surfaces to compact earth fills, foundation forms, and finished road materials, according to grade specifications.Core task
  • Set up and tear down equipment.Core task
  • Shovel blacktop.Core task
  • Start machine, engage clutch, and push and move levers to guide machine along forms or guidelines and to control the operation of machine attachments.Core task
  • Cut or break up pavement and drive guardrail posts, using machines equipped with interchangeable hammers.
  • Drive and operate curbing machines to extrude concrete or asphalt curbing.
  • Install dies, cutters, and extensions to screeds onto machines, using hand tools.
  • Operate machines that clean or cut expansion joints in concrete or asphalt and that rout out cracks in pavement.
  • Place strips of material, such as cork, asphalt, or steel into joints, or place rolls of expansion-joint material on machines that automatically insert material.
  • Set up forms and lay out guidelines for curbs, according to written specifications, using string, spray paint, and concrete or water mixes.

How that compares

Among the 56 construction and extraction occupations, paving rank 39. 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%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Parking Enforcement Workers 0.0%
  2. 346Parts Salespersons 0.0%
  3. 346Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic 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.