AI exposure: Air Traffic Controllers
Control air traffic on and within vicinity of airport, and movement of air traffic between altitude sectors and control centers, according to established procedures and policies. Authorize, regulate, and control commercial airline flights according to government or company regulations to expedite and ensure flight safety.
Reading this score
computedAir Traffic Controllers is one of the unusual cases where capability and friction are both high. Current systems can produce a great deal of this work, with average capability across its tasks at 2.2 out of 4. Only 31.3% of the weighted task load comes out as exposed, because 23.1% of it runs into something structural. Jobs in this band tend not to disappear. They change shape, and the person stays.
What holds the line here is context. Across this occupation's 23 tasks it averages 2.02 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work depends on knowledge the model cannot hold. Much of this job runs on things that were never written down: what this particular organisation does, what happened last week, what the person across the table actually meant. That context is the barrier, and it erodes as systems are given more access.
The most exposed thing this job does is Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, at 86.7%. The least is Direct ground traffic, at 0.0%. A gap of 86.7% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within transportation and material moving occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 52 roles in the group is 24.2%, and only 14 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 23 tasks, 13 are currently banded exposed, 4 assisted and 6 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take cheaper ways to verify output, since the cost of checking is currently doing more to hold this work in place than the cost of producing it. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 2.22 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.50 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 1.54 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 1.09 | 0-3 |
| Context | 2.02 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.52 | 0-3 |
What this means in practice
Roles in this band tend to change shape rather than disappear. The output gets drafted faster and the person moves toward review, judgment and accountability. The useful question is not whether to use these tools but who is trusted to sign off on what they produce.
Task by task
23 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references. | 86.7% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 4.89 | exposed |
| Complete daily activity reports and keep records of messages from aircraft. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 3.10 | exposed |
| Compile information about flights from flight plans, pilot reports, radar, or observations. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.27 | exposed |
| Analyze factors such as weather reports, fuel requirements, or maps to determine air routes. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 3.81 | exposed |
| Review records or reports for clarity and completeness and maintain records or reports, as required under federal law. | 64.2% | 23.3% | 12.5% | 2.97 | exposed |
| Conduct pre-flight briefings on weather conditions, suggested routes, altitudes, indications of turbulence, or other flight safety information. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 3.93 | exposed |
| Check conditions and traffic at different altitudes in response to pilots' requests for altitude changes. | 37.5% | 25.0% | 37.5% | 4.53 | exposed |
| Organize flight plans or traffic management plans to prepare for planes about to enter assigned airspace. | 35.0% | 40.0% | 25.0% | 4.35 | assisted |
| Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems. | 30.0% | 45.0% | 25.0% | 4.98 | assisted |
| Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties. | 30.0% | 45.0% | 25.0% | 4.86 | assisted |
| Inspect, adjust, or control radio equipment or airport lights. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.87 | exposed |
| Monitor, direct, or sequence the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety. | 28.3% | 21.7% | 50.0% | 4.88 | exposed |
| Maintain radio or telephone contact with adjacent control towers, terminal control units, or other area control centers to coordinate aircraft movement. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.84 | exposed |
| Contact pilots by radio to provide meteorological, navigational, or other information. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.66 | exposed |
| Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.58 | exposed |
| Relay air traffic information, such as courses, altitudes, or expected arrival times, to control centers. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.06 | exposed |
| Determine the timing or procedures for flight vector changes. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 4.65 | assisted |
| Provide on-the-job training to new air traffic controllers. | 6.7% | 18.3% | 75.0% | 4.43 | untouched |
| Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights. | 3.3% | 21.7% | 75.0% | 4.78 | untouched |
| Initiate or coordinate searches for missing aircraft. | 3.3% | 21.7% | 75.0% | 4.49 | untouched |
| Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.73 | untouched |
| Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.72 | untouched |
| Direct ground traffic, including taxiing aircraft, maintenance or baggage vehicles, or airport workers. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.62 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean. 1 task(s) lacked a usable O*NET weight and are shown but excluded from the weighting.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.