Will AI replace cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 36m 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 5h 24m (68%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.4% 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 4 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 2h 36m of a typical shift. 6 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here.

• Observe machine operations, gauges, or thermometers, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions. (1h 33m a shift; e.g. PLC-based clean-in-place (CIP) skid with instrumented control loops, in use)
• Set controls to regulate temperature and length of cycles, and start conveyors, pumps, agitators, and machines. (29m a shift; e.g. SMS X-Pact Turbulence Pickling Model (Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana mill), in use)
• Add specified amounts of chemicals to equipment at required times to maintain solution levels and concentrations. (23m a shift; e.g. Krones Lavatec KES bottle washer with lye concentration measurement and dosing control, in use)
• Draw samples for laboratory analysis, or test solutions for conformance to specifications, such as acidity or specific gravity. (12m a shift; e.g. Automated SmartWash Analytical Platform (ASAP), in use)

5h 24m of a typical shift, or 68%, 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:

• Operate or tend machines to wash and remove impurities from items such as barrels or kegs, glass products, tin plate surfaces, dried fruit, pulp, animal stock, coal, manufactured articles, plastic, or rubber. (1h 56m a shift)
• Load machines with objects to be processed and unload them after cleaning, placing them on conveyors or racks. (1h 44m a shift)
• Drain, clean, and refill machines or tanks at designated intervals, using cleaning solutions or water. (40m a shift)
• Record gauge readings, materials used, processing times, or test results in production logs. (17m a shift)
• Examine and inspect machines to detect malfunctions. (17m 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:

• 100% spend more than half the day on their feet

On Indeed, job postings in the Production & Manufacturing sector are at 124% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 12.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 1,700 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $43,530 a year ($20.93 an hour), 15% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $33,790 and $58,570 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 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 17,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 1,700 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 15,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 596th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 17,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 60% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. 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
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 24m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word

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:

• Tire Builders (0m touched, $57k median pay)
• Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (1h 51m touched, $49k median pay)
• Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (1h 18m touched, $48k median pay)
• Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders (1h 31m touched, $48k median pay)
• Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders (2h 5m touched, $38k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 4 with robots in real deployments, 7 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.