AI exposure: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.
Reading this score
computedAt 21.4% of weighted task load, Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers sits at the 39th percentile, below the point where a job's centre of gravity has moved. 56.1% of what this role does is untouched, meaning current systems cannot produce that work at all, whatever the commercial incentive.
What holds the line here is context. Across this occupation's 24 tasks it averages 2.03 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 Record in log books information, at 80.0%. The least is Conduct in-flight tests and evaluations at specified altitudes and in all types of weather to..., at 0.0%. A gap of 80.0% 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 less exposed than the median of 24.3% across the group's 52 roles, with 29 scoring higher. Being in an exposed family does not make a particular job exposed, and the reverse holds too.
What would move this score. Of 24 tasks, 10 are currently banded exposed, 4 assisted and 10 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take robotics cheap and reliable enough to deploy at scale, not a better language model. 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 | 1.90 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.83 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 1.77 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 1.62 | 0-3 |
| Context | 2.03 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.94 | 0-3 |
Task by task
24 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record in log books information, such as flight times, distances flown, and fuel consumption. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 3.72 | exposed |
| Make announcements regarding flights, using public address systems. | 80.0% | 20.0% | 0.0% | 3.19 | exposed |
| Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 3.97 | exposed |
| Plan and formulate flight activities and test schedules and prepare flight evaluation reports. | 55.4% | 32.1% | 12.5% | 3.08 | exposed |
| Brief crews about flight details, such as destinations, duties, and responsibilities. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 4.23 | exposed |
| Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.70 | exposed |
| Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.81 | exposed |
| Confer with flight dispatchers and weather forecasters to keep abreast of flight conditions. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.41 | exposed |
| File instrument flight plans with air traffic control to ensure that flights are coordinated with other air traffic. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.09 | exposed |
| Perform minor maintenance work, or arrange for major maintenance. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.02 | exposed |
| Evaluate other pilots or pilot-license applicants for proficiency. | 25.0% | 50.0% | 25.0% | 3.82 | assisted |
| Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 4.72 | assisted |
| Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 4.25 | assisted |
| Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions. | 18.9% | 31.1% | 50.0% | 4.86 | assisted |
| Check passenger and cargo distributions and fuel amounts to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met. | 6.7% | 18.3% | 75.0% | 4.60 | untouched |
| Instruct other pilots and student pilots in aircraft operations and the principles of flight. | 6.7% | 18.3% | 75.0% | 3.72 | untouched |
| Direct activities of aircraft crews during flights. | 3.3% | 21.7% | 75.0% | 3.97 | untouched |
| Coordinate flight activities with ground crews and air traffic control and inform crew members of flight and test procedures. | 3.3% | 21.7% | 75.0% | 4.31 | untouched |
| Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor. | 1.7% | 23.3% | 75.0% | 4.91 | untouched |
| Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures. | 1.7% | 23.3% | 75.0% | 4.89 | untouched |
| Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings. | 1.7% | 23.3% | 75.0% | 4.88 | untouched |
| Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers. | 1.7% | 23.3% | 75.0% | 4.69 | untouched |
| Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.82 | untouched |
| Conduct in-flight tests and evaluations at specified altitudes and in all types of weather to determine the receptivity and other characteristics of equipment and systems. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.15 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.
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.
What this means in practice
Most of this work is not reachable by current systems, so the immediate pressure is on the administrative edges of the role rather than its core: the scheduling, the reporting, the written records. That is where time is recovered.