AI exposure Construction and extraction
Will AI replace service unit operators?
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas. US occupation 47-5013.
The reading
0.0%
of the time service unit operators spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of service unit operators' 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 service unit operatorsWhat service unit operators no longer do alone
O*NET lists 19 tasks for service unit operators. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
19 of the 19 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Close and seal wells no longer in use.Core task
- Confer with others to gather information regarding pipe or tool sizes or borehole conditions in wells.Core task
- Drive truck-mounted units to well sites.Core task
- Install pressure-control devices onto wellheads.Core task
- Interpret instrument readings to ascertain the depth of obstruction.Core task
- Listen to engines, rotary chains, or other equipment to detect faulty operations or unusual well conditions.Core task
Show the other 13
- Maintain and perform safety inspections on equipment and tools.Core task
- Operate controls that raise derricks or level rigs.Core task
- Operate pumps that circulate water, oil, or other fluids through wells to remove sand or other materials obstructing the free flow of oil.Core task
- Prepare reports of services rendered, tools used, or time required, for billing purposes.Core task
- Select fishing methods or tools for removing obstacles such as liners, broken casing, screens, or drill pipe.Core task
- Thread cables through derrick pulleys, using hand tools.Core task
- Apply green technologies or techniques, such as the use of coiled tubing, slim-hole drilling, horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, or gas lift systems.
- Direct drilling crews performing activities such as assembling and connecting pipe, applying weights to drill pipes, or drilling around lodged obstacles.
- Examine unserviceable wells to determine actions to be taken to improve well conditions.
- Insert detection instruments into wells with obstructions.
- Monitor sound wave-generating or detecting mechanisms to determine well fluid levels.
- Operate specialized equipment to remove obstructions by backing off or severing pipes by chemical or explosive action.
- Perforate well casings or sidewalls of boreholes with explosive charges.
How that compares
Among the 56 construction and extraction occupations, service unit operators rank 50. 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%.
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.