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Will AI replace Agricultural Equipment Operators?

Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops; feeding and herding livestock; or removing animal waste. The percentage shown is a task-exposure model, not a prediction of certain job loss.

O*NET 30.3 · 45-2091.00 · modeled exposure, not guaranteed job loss
MODERATE TASK EXPOSURE
36%
Estimated share of representative tasks exposed to current AI capabilities.
Last updatedAugust 20, 2026
Evidence confidenceMedium
Browse this risk tierModerate exposure jobs →
Task automation shareⓘ
36%Automatable
Automatable36%
Augmentable32%
Hard to automate32%
Based on analysis of representative responsibilities and current AI capability maturity.
Category#
Trades & Physical
Field & Physical
Modeled pay midpoint$
$90,500/yr
Directional estimate — verify locally
Time until impact⌁
2–4 years
Earliest 2027 · widespread 2029–2031
Task-level replaceability ⓘ
Representative tasks ranked from highest to lowest AI exposure.
◇Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.46%
⚙Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.35%
▥Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.23%
✦Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings22%
✦Safety responsibility and on-site judgment18%
Impact timeline ⓘ
How AI assistance may move from early support to wider adoption.
2027Next2029–2031
Early impactAI begins supporting load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers..
Role reshapingRepeatable tasks become faster and more automated.
Wider adoptionThe role centers more on physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
2–4 yearsdirectional confidence window
HOW AI CHANGES THIS JOBtyping the logic in plain English
01>Start with the real work done by Agricultural Equipment Operators.
02>AI can help with: Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.
03>If a task is repetitive and easy to check, AI pressure goes up.
04>But a person is still needed for: Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
05>Likely result: AI is more likely to change this job than remove it.
06>Important: 36% is estimated task exposure—not a 36% chance of losing the job.
What AI can do
Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers.MEDIUM
Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery.LOW MATCH
Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers.LOW MATCH
How estimates work →
Your human moat
◆

Physical dexterity in unpredictable settings

HIGH MOAT

Combined with safety responsibility and on-site judgment, this keeps a human in the loop.

Strength8.9
Similar-role comparison
RoleRisk
Agricultural Equipment Operators36%
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners36%
Tree Trimmers and Pruners35%
Ship Engineers38%
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Why this score?

✓The model evaluates 3 representative core tasks.
✓The role mixes repeatable work with human judgment.
✓Occupation and task language comes from O*NET 30.3.
✓The strongest human advantage is physical dexterity in unpredictable settings.
Research basis

O*NET 30.3 occupation tasks plus the ILO 2025 exposure framework. Scores are directional estimates.

Read ILO research →
Data: O*NET 30.3 · Model framework: ILO 2025O*NET 45-2091.00Share report
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Sources for this report

Official occupation tasks; timeline remains uncertain Scores are directional estimates and sources do not endorse this site’s exact percentage.

O*NET 45-2091.00 occupation profile ↗ILO Generative AI and Jobs 2025 ↗Scoring methodology →

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