AI exposure: Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
Operate computer-controlled tools, machines, or robots to machine or process parts, tools, or other work pieces made of metal, plastic, wood, stone, or other materials. May also set up and maintain equipment.
Reading this score
computedAt 22.9% of weighted task load, Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators sits at the 42th percentile, below the point where a job's centre of gravity has moved. 63.7% 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 embodiment. Across this occupation's 27 tasks it averages 2.18 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work has to happen in physical space. A language model cannot move matter. Until the robotics to do this work is both good enough and cheap enough to deploy widely, capability in software does not reach it.
The most exposed thing this job does is Calculate machine speed and feed ratios and the size and position of cuts, at 55.0%. The least is Lay out and mark areas of parts to be shot peened and fill hoppers with shot, at 0.0%. A gap of 55.0% 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 production occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 107 roles in the group is 16.1%, and only 13 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 27 tasks, 14 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 12 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 | 1.45 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 2.18 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.33 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.77 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.15 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.14 | 0-3 |
Task by task
27 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calculate machine speed and feed ratios and the size and position of cuts. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.54 | exposed |
| Transfer commands from servers to computer numerical control (CNC) modules, using computer network links. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.53 | exposed |
| Insert control instructions into machine control units to start operation. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.36 | exposed |
| Input initial part dimensions into machine control panels. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.15 | exposed |
| Enter commands or load control media, such as tapes, cards, or disks, into machine controllers to retrieve programmed instructions. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.16 | exposed |
| Implement changes to machine programs, and enter new specifications, using computers. | 39.6% | 22.9% | 37.5% | 4.55 | exposed |
| Control coolant systems. | 33.3% | 16.7% | 50.0% | 3.91 | exposed |
| Review program specifications or blueprints to determine and set machine operations and sequencing, finished workpiece dimensions, or numerical control sequences. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.61 | exposed |
| Monitor machine operation and control panel displays, and compare readings to specifications to detect malfunctions. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.40 | exposed |
| Set up and operate computer-controlled machines or robots to perform one or more machine functions on metal or plastic workpieces. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.68 | exposed |
| Listen to machines during operation to detect sounds such as those made by dull cutting tools or excessive vibration, and adjust machines to compensate for problems. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.55 | exposed |
| Modify cutting programs to account for problems encountered during operation, and save modified programs. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.28 | exposed |
| Write simple programs for computer-controlled machine tools. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.21 | exposed |
| Set up future jobs while machines are operating. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.09 | exposed |
| Confer with supervisors or programmers to resolve machine malfunctions or production errors or to obtain approval to continue production. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 4.00 | assisted |
| Adjust machine feed and speed, change cutting tools, or adjust machine controls when automatic programming is faulty or if machines malfunction. | 21.5% | 11.8% | 66.7% | 4.41 | untouched |
| Check to ensure that workpieces are properly lubricated and cooled during machine operation. | 15.0% | 10.0% | 75.0% | 4.45 | untouched |
| Examine electronic components for defects or completeness of laser-beam trimming, using microscopes. | 10.0% | 15.0% | 75.0% | 3.02 | untouched |
| Maintain machines and remove and replace broken or worn machine tools, using hand tools. | 5.2% | 3.1% | 91.7% | 4.37 | untouched |
| Measure dimensions of finished workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments, templates, and fixtures. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.76 | untouched |
| Mount, install, align, and secure tools, attachments, fixtures, and workpieces on machines, using hand tools and precision measuring instruments. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.63 | untouched |
| Stop machines to remove finished workpieces or to change tooling, setup, or workpiece placement, according to required machining sequences. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.56 | untouched |
| Remove and replace dull cutting tools. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.47 | untouched |
| Lift workpieces to machines manually or with hoists or cranes. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.19 | untouched |
| Stack or load finished items, or place items on conveyor systems. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.92 | untouched |
| Clean machines, tooling, or parts, using solvents or solutions and rags. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.82 | untouched |
| Lay out and mark areas of parts to be shot peened and fill hoppers with shot. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.48 | 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.