AI exposure: Model Makers, Metal and Plastic
Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, milling and engraving machines, and jig borers to make working models of metal or plastic objects. Includes template makers.
Reading this score
computedAt 16.2% of weighted task load, Model Makers, Metal and Plastic sits at the 26th percentile, below the point where a job's centre of gravity has moved. 74.0% 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 16 tasks it averages 2.52 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 Record specifications, production operations, and final dimensions of models for use in..., at 73.3%. The least is Wire and solder electrical and electronic connections and components, at 0.0%. A gap of 73.3% 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 16.2%, and only 53 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 16 tasks, 4 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 11 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 | 0.98 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 2.52 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.19 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.46 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.08 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.15 | 0-3 |
Task by task
16 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record specifications, production operations, and final dimensions of models for use in establishing operating standards and procedures. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 3.92 | exposed |
| Study blueprints, drawings, and sketches to determine material dimensions, required equipment, and operations sequences. | 41.7% | 20.8% | 37.5% | 4.49 | exposed |
| Program computer numerical control (CNC) machines to fabricate model parts. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.27 | exposed |
| Use computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software or hardware to fabricate model parts. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 3.81 | exposed |
| Consult and confer with engineering personnel to discuss developmental problems and to recommend product modifications. | 23.3% | 26.7% | 50.0% | 3.49 | assisted |
| Set up and operate machines, such as lathes, drill presses, punch presses, or bandsaws, to fabricate prototypes or models. | 15.8% | 9.2% | 75.0% | 4.31 | untouched |
| Inspect and test products to verify conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments or circuit testers. | 15.0% | 10.0% | 75.0% | 4.18 | untouched |
| Devise and construct tools, dies, molds, jigs, and fixtures, or modify existing tools and equipment. | 10.7% | 5.9% | 83.3% | 3.94 | untouched |
| Grind, file, and sand parts to finished dimensions. | 8.3% | 4.2% | 87.5% | 3.95 | untouched |
| Cut, shape, and form metal parts, using lathes, power saws, snips, power brakes and shears, files, and mallets. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.18 | untouched |
| Rework or alter component model or parts as required to ensure that products meet standards. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.07 | untouched |
| Drill, countersink, and ream holes in parts and assemblies for bolts, screws, and other fasteners, using power tools. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.05 | untouched |
| Align, fit, and join parts, using bolts and screws or by welding or gluing. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.90 | untouched |
| Lay out and mark reference points and dimensions on materials, using measuring instruments and drawing or scribing tools. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.50 | untouched |
| Assemble mechanical, electrical, and electronic components into models or prototypes, using hand tools, power tools, and fabricating machines. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.02 | untouched |
| Wire and solder electrical and electronic connections and components. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 2.29 | 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.