Will AI replace Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders?

What this score means

Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders is among the least exposed roles in Manufacturing. Most of what the job involves still sits outside what current AI can do, even as the tools around it keep changing. At 20 out of 100 it sits close to the Manufacturing average of 19. Across the 5 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 5 to 60, 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 Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders, most central first, showing 12 of 20.

• 01Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.
• 02Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications.
• 03Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.
• 04Observe machine operations to ensure quality and conformity of filled or packaged products to standards.
• 05Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items.
• 06Monitor the production line, watching for problems such as pile-ups, jams, or glue that isn't sticking properly.
• 07Inspect and remove defective products and packaging material.
• 08Start machine by engaging controls.
• 09Tend or operate machine that packages product.
• 10Clean, oil, and make minor adjustments or repairs to machinery and equipment, such as opening valves or setting guides.
• 11Regulate machine flow, speed, or temperature.
• 12Adjust machine components and machine tension and pressure according to size or processing angle of product.

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 5 research sources that scored Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

• 01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026Anthropic
• 02Global Automation Atlas: Task Substitution Exposure by Occupation · 2026Garg, Crosta, Baier (2026), arXiv:2605.17086
• 03Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations · 2025Tomlinson, Jaffe et al., Microsoft Research (2025)
• 04GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin, Rock (Science, 2024)
• 05AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023Felten, Raj, Seamans (2023)

Common questions

How likely is AI to replace Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders?

Published research puts Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders at 20 out of 100 for AI displacement risk, in the lower risk band. The number is a weighted consensus of 5 research sources and describes the typical version of the role, not any individual.

Do researchers agree on the risk for Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders?

Only partly. Individual estimates for Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders run from 5 to 60 out of 100 across the 5 sources behind this score, so the single number smooths over real disagreement. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in it.

Which manufacturing roles face similar AI exposure?

The closest published manufacturing roles to Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders by score are Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders (20/100), Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (20/100), and Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders (20/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Also covers

Ampoule Filler · Ampoule Sealer · Apple Press Operator · Assembly Line Worker · Assembly Person · Assembly Worker · Auto Roller · Automatic Cigar Wrapper Tender and related titles

More manufacturing occupations

• Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders20/100
• Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic20/100
• Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders20/100
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic20/100
• Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders20/100
• Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic20/100
• Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders20/100
• Model Makers, Metal and Plastic20/100