Will AI replace Dishwashers?

What this score means

Dishwashers is among the least exposed roles in Hospitality. Most of what the job involves still sits outside what current AI can do, even as the tools around it keep changing. At 11 out of 100 it scores 9 points below the Hospitality average of 20. Across the 3 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 5 to 20, so the score is a weighted consensus rather than any single figure.

The number is a consensus estimate for the typical version of the role, built from published academic and industry research scored occupation by occupation. It is not a prediction about any individual. How scoring works

What this job actually involves

Exposure follows the work itself rather than the job title, so it is worth seeing what the role is made of. These are the tasks O*NET records for Dishwashers, most central first, showing 12 of 13.

• 01Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, or pans, using dishwashers or by hand.
• 02Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, or utensils in clean and orderly condition.
• 03Place clean dishes, utensils, or cooking equipment in storage areas.
• 04Sweep or scrub floors.
• 05Stock supplies, such as food or utensils, in serving stations, cupboards, refrigerators, or salad bars.
• 06Clean or prepare various foods for cooking or serving.
• 07Sort and remove trash, placing it in designated pickup areas.
• 08Transfer supplies or equipment between storage and work areas, by hand or using hand trucks.
• 09Receive and store supplies.
• 10Clean garbage cans with water or steam.
• 11Load or unload trucks that deliver or pick up food or supplies.
• 12Prepare and package individual place settings.

Task statements from O*NET by the National Center for O*NET Development, used under CC BY 4.0. The tasks are descriptive; the exposure score above is ours.

The research behind this score

This baseline aggregates 3 research sources that scored Dishwashers for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

• 01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026
• 02GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024
• 03AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023

Also covers

Breakdown Person · Bus Person · Busser · Dish Machine Operator (DMO) · Dish Person · Dish Room Worker · Dish Runner · Dish Stacker and related titles

More hospitality occupations

• Baristas19/100
• Bartenders18/100
• Chefs and Head Cooks24/100
• Cooks, Fast Food18/100
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria18/100
• Cooks, Private Household22/100
• Cooks, Restaurant20/100
• Cooks, Short Order14/100