Will AI replace transportation security screeners?

Not replace, but it is changing the job. About 1h 22m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 6h 38m (83%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 4.2% fewer 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 5 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 1h 22m of a typical shift. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 3 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification. (44m a shift; e.g. TSA/CLEAR biometric eGates, in use)
• Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment. (19m a shift; e.g. Checked Baggage Inspection System (CBIS) with integrated EDS, Missoula International Airport, in use)
• Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering. (6m a shift; e.g. VISY ADDS 2.0 (Automatic Damage Detection System), in use)
• Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items. (6m a shift; e.g. Knightscope K5 Autonomous Security Robot, in use)

6h 38m of a typical shift, or 83%, 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:

• Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation. (1h 28m a shift)
• Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons. (51m a shift)
• Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches. (51m a shift)
• Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors. (51m a shift)
• Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems. (25m a shift)

Part of the answer is the setting, not just the tasks. Work that is in person, hands on or high stakes is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 89% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 85% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 81% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

On Indeed, job postings in the Security & Public Safety sector are at 119% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 4.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 4,500 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 $66,770 a year ($32.10 an hour), 31% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $44,700 and $78,350 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 a decline of 4.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 51,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 4,500 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 50,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.03% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 390th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 51,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 85% 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: Persuasion, Coordination, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 38m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Linux, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word

These use similar skills. 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:

• Security Guards (3h 42m touched, $38k median pay)
• Transit and Railroad Police (3h 22m touched, $90k median pay)
• Flight Attendants (23m touched, $64k median pay)
• Baggage Porters and Bellhops (2h 49m touched, $37k median pay)
• Airfield Operations Specialists (41m touched, $57k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 6 with robots in real deployments, 20 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.