Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-9161.00
Operate computer-controlled tools, machines, or robots to machine or process parts, tools, or other work pieces made of metal, plastic, wood, stone, or other materials. May also set up and maintain equipment.
AI exposure
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
High· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.021
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.12–0.18· 2 ISCO-08 groups
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
ILO value for each linked ISCO-08 group
- ISCO-08 7223Metal Working Machine Tool Setters and Operators0.18
- ISCO-08 9329Manufacturing Labourers Not Elsewhere Classified0.12
AI exposure (OpenAI rubric)
27 rated tasks · 8 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (29.6%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Tasks
Task statements from the O*NET® 31.0 Database, core tasks first.
| Task | Type | β (OpenAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Measure dimensions of finished workpieces to ensure conformance to specifications, using precision measuring instruments, templates, and fixtures. | Core | 0 |
| Remove and replace dull cutting tools. | Core | 0 |
| Mount, install, align, and secure tools, attachments, fixtures, and workpieces on machines, using hand tools and precision measuring instruments. | Core | 0 |
| Listen to machines during operation to detect sounds such as those made by dull cutting tools or excessive vibration, and adjust machines to compensate for problems. | Core | 0 |
| Adjust machine feed and speed, change cutting tools, or adjust machine controls when automatic programming is faulty or if machines malfunction. | Core | 0 |
| Stop machines to remove finished workpieces or to change tooling, setup, or workpiece placement, according to required machining sequences. | Core | 0 |
| Lift workpieces to machines manually or with hoists or cranes. | Core | 0 |
| Modify cutting programs to account for problems encountered during operation, and save modified programs. | Core | 1 |
| Calculate machine speed and feed ratios and the size and position of cuts. | Core | 1 |
| Insert control instructions into machine control units to start operation. | Core | 0 |
| Check to ensure that workpieces are properly lubricated and cooled during machine operation. | Core | 0 |
| Input initial part dimensions into machine control panels. | Core | 0 |
| Set up and operate computer-controlled machines or robots to perform one or more machine functions on metal or plastic workpieces. | Core | 0 |
| Confer with supervisors or programmers to resolve machine malfunctions or production errors or to obtain approval to continue production. | Core | 0 |
| Review program specifications or blueprints to determine and set machine operations and sequencing, finished workpiece dimensions, or numerical control sequences. | Core | 0.5 |
| Monitor machine operation and control panel displays, and compare readings to specifications to detect malfunctions. | Core | 0 |
| Control coolant systems. | Core | 0 |
| Maintain machines and remove and replace broken or worn machine tools, using hand tools. | Core | 0 |
| Stack or load finished items, or place items on conveyor systems. | Core | 0 |
| Clean machines, tooling, or parts, using solvents or solutions and rags. | Core | 0 |
| Transfer commands from servers to computer numerical control (CNC) modules, using computer network links. | Core | 1 |
| Set up future jobs while machines are operating. | Core | 0 |
| Implement changes to machine programs, and enter new specifications, using computers. | Core | 1 |
| Write simple programs for computer-controlled machine tools. | Core | 1 |
| Enter commands or load control media, such as tapes, cards, or disks, into machine controllers to retrieve programmed instructions. | Supplemental | 1 |
| Examine electronic components for defects or completeness of laser-beam trimming, using microscopes. | Supplemental | 0.5 |
| Lay out and mark areas of parts to be shot peened and fill hoppers with shot. | Supplemental | 0 |
Occupation information
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database (https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html) by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. AI Changing Work has modified all or some of this information: the O*NET-SOC code, title and task statements are reproduced in English without change; task-type labels are shown in the page's language and tasks are listed core first; any Korean occupation title shown on the Korean-language page is AI Changing Work's translation; any KSCO-8 unit groups linked to this occupation were paired with it by AI Changing Work's judgment, and the relation labels and statuses are AI Changing Work's additions. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Any AI exposure figures on this page are published by third parties, not by AI Changing Work, and none is part of the O*NET information. OpenAI publishes task-level scores (MIT License) for O*NET 27.2 task statements; each is shown next to the O*NET 31.0 task statement with the same task ID, whose wording can differ from the 27.2 statement that was scored. OpenAI also publishes occupation-level scores for O*NET-SOC codes in the same release, and any such score is shown on the O*NET occupation with the same code. Anthropic publishes an observed exposure index in the Anthropic Economic Index (CC-BY), and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes relative AI exposure categories (public domain); both are published per SOC code, and each value is shown on every O*NET occupation with that code. The International Labour Organization publishes a generative AI exposure index in ILO Working Paper 140 (CC BY 4.0) for ISCO-08 unit groups; AI Changing Work links those groups to O*NET occupations by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC and 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC crosswalks as published, without case-by-case selection, and these crosswalks match many groups only in part. Where several unit groups are linked, each group's published value is listed, and any summary shows only the lowest and highest of those values with the number of groups; no exposure figure is averaged or recalculated. Any employment figures are published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for the SOC group containing this occupation. Each source is credited where its figures are shown.
O*NET OnLine: 51-9161.00 Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators
KSCO 코드·명칭: 한국표준직업분류(제8차 개정) — 통계청 고시 제2024-328호 (2024-07-01 고시, 2025-01-01 시행). 저작권법 제7조 제2호의 고시 항목이다. 명칭 표기(가운뎃점·띄어쓰기)는 해설서 2차 정오 반영판의 표기를 따랐으며, 고시 항목표와는 18개 명칭에서 가운뎃점 글리프나 띄어쓰기만 다르다. 통계청은 2025년 10월 국가데이터처로 개편되었다. 이 페이지의 KSCO 연결은 통계청·국가데이터처의 공식 연계표가 아니다.