Will AI replace agricultural equipment operators?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 5h 47m of a typical shift is made up of tasks that AI or robots have done on their own in real use somewhere. That doesn't mean those hours are automated in a typical workplace. The other 2h 13m (28%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 8.6% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 11 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 5h 47m of a typical shift. 4 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment. (2h 23m a shift; e.g. John Deere autonomous 8R/9R tillage tractor, in use)
• Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions. (51m a shift; e.g. Combine Advisor AutoMaintain (S700 series combines), in use)
• Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops. (41m a shift; e.g. Sabanto Retrofit Autonomy Kit (Steward) on John Deere 6130E + 8-row planter, in use)
• Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery. (31m a shift; e.g. GUSS / mini GUSS autonomous orchard sprayer, in use)

2h 13m of a typical shift, or 28%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers. (41m a shift)
• Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery. (20m a shift)
• Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools. (20m a shift)
• Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps. (20m a shift)
• Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks. (15m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 71% talk face to face with others every day
• 66% work outdoors in all weather every day
• 60% work in very hot or cold conditions at least weekly

The median pay is about $41,730 a year ($20.06 an hour), 18% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $33,500 and $58,650 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 8.6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 73,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 10,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 29,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.02% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 486th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 73,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is less than a high school diploma: about 57% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 1 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: little or no preparation. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Repairing, Equipment Maintenance
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 2h 13m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Operate drones to monitor crop health, growth and pest infestations, and apply targeted treatments.

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (2h 20m touched, $36k median pay)
• Machine Feeders and Offbearers (3h 26m touched, $41k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 11 with robots in real deployments, 6 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.