AI exposure score

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic score 2 out of 100, which is low exposure to AI. That ranks #867 of 923 US occupations, where #1 is the most exposed. Of the 16 tasks in this job, AI could speed up 0 on its own and 1 more with extra software built on top of it. None of its tasks showed up in real AI use in April–May 2026.

2/ 100

Low

Rank: #867of 923 jobs
US workers: 60,840BLS, May 2025
Median pay: $47,720a year
In real AI use: 0 of 16tasks, April–May 2026

Free report

Follow how AI is changing extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic work.

Subscribe to the weekly report and get The AI Job Exposure Report (PDF) right away: the most and least exposed jobs, exposure by field, and the AI-resilient jobs that pay well.

Free · one email a week · unsubscribe anytime

Task by task

Each task this job involves, as listed by O*NET, rated on whether a large language model like GPT-4 could cut the time it takes by at least half at the same quality. Tasks marked Seen in real AI use appeared in conversations with Claude in April–May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index).

AI can speed this up on its own: 0 (0%)
AI can speed this up with extra software: 1 (6%)
Little or no AI speed-up: 15 (94%)

Maintain an inventory of materials.AI can speed this up with extra software · supplemental task
Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Reel extruded products into rolls of specified lengths and weights.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Install dies, machine screws, and sizing rings on machines that extrude thermoplastic or metal materials.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Change dies on extruding machines, according to production line changes.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Clean work areas.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Troubleshoot, maintain, and make minor repairs to equipment.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
Weigh and mix pelletized, granular, or powdered thermoplastic materials and coloring pigments.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Test physical properties of products with testing devices such as acid-bath testers, burst testers, and impact testers.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Load machine hoppers with mixed materials, using augers, or stuff rolls of plastic dough into machine cylinders.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Adjust controls to draw or press metal into specified shapes and diameters.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Replace worn dies when products vary from specifications.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Select nozzles, spacers, and wire guides, according to diameters and lengths of rods.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task
Operate shearing mechanisms to cut rods to specified lengths.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task

What you can do about it

Get a personal plan for what to learn next.

Skill Half Life turns this score into a 90-day plan for your situation: your realistic options, the skills that carry over, and training that fits your time and budget. Coming soon.

See your options

Similar jobs, lower exposure

Related occupations that score at least 10 points lower.

This job is already among the least exposed in its field.

Other jobs in this field

Production occupations close to this one.

All production jobs and AI

Questions about extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic and AI

Will AI replace extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic?

Unlikely. Most of the work is hard for today's AI to speed up. Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic score 2 out of 100 (low exposure), #867 of 923 US jobs. AI could speed up 1 of the job's 16 tasks, 0 of them on its own, while 15 see little or no speed-up. Exposure means the work is likely to change, not that the job will disappear.

Which extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic tasks can AI do?

The most exposed tasks include "Maintain an inventory of materials".

Which extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic tasks are hardest for AI?

Tasks with little or no AI speed-up include "Measure and examine extruded products to locate defects and to check for conformance to specifications, adjusting controls as necessary to alter products"; "Determine setup procedures and select machine dies and parts, according to specifications"; "Start machines and set controls to regulate vacuum, air pressure, sizing rings, and temperature, and to synchronize speed of extrusion".

Are people already using AI for this work?

Not much yet. None of the job's tasks showed up in real conversations with Claude in April–May 2026, according to the Anthropic Economic Index.

How many people work as extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, and what do they earn?

About 60,840 people in the US, with median pay of $47,720 a year (BLS, May 2025).

How to read this score. Exposure measures how much of the work AI could speed up, not whether the job will disappear. A highly exposed job can change shape, with people spending less time on routine tasks and more on the rest. The score counts tasks AI can speed up on its own in full, and tasks that need extra software at half weight.

The ratings come from published research based on GPT-4 (2023). To show what's happening now, each task is also checked against the latest Anthropic Economic Index, which records which tasks people actually use AI for. That data is refreshed automatically when Anthropic publishes a new release. Read the full method.