Transportation and Material Moving · United States (national)
Air Traffic Controllers
How exposed this work is to automation, shown as ranges with the reasoning and sources.
The short version: this role is less exposed to automation, and a near-term shift looks unlikely.
It is a sourced range, not a verdict, and the detail is below.
Built on O*NET tasks, BLS pay and projections, and peer-reviewed AI-exposure research. Sources shown.
Data snapshot SNAPSHOT-2026-11-06. How it works
AI / softwarerange 18.7 to 42.7
Physical / roboticsrange 13.1 to 37.1
When the change is likely
Largely unaffectedlocal demand stable
What to do about it
Use AI to outpace AI.
Strategies to protect your livelihood, most important first.
1
Stay sharp; urgency is low
This role looks durable. Keep your skills current and watch for shifts in your field.
2
Build a financial buffer
Keep 6 to 12 months of expenses and diversify your income, so a disruption is a setback rather than a catastrophe.
3
Add a recognised credential
A certification or license raises the bar against automation and signals value in a tightening market.
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Which of my tasks are exposed
Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
30.7
Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.
30.7
Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.
30.7
Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations.
30.7
Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties.
30.7
Monitor or direct the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety.
30.7
Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land.
30.7
Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.
50.0
Longer, orange bars are more automatable; short green bars are resistant.
What is driving my result
lowers risk
raises risk
Task: Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.
Task: Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
How this score is calculated
Map Air Traffic Controllers to its standard O*NET task list (8 core tasks).
Score each task for AI/software exposure (Eloundou et al. 2023) and physical/robotics exposure (an O*NET work-context proxy), each 0 to 100.
The two axis scores are the task averages: AI 30.7, robotics 25.1.
The timeline comes from the higher axis (30.7), shifted for local demand (stable), and seniority. It is read against your remaining working years.
Ranges are about ±12 points. A backtest against real BLS employment change shows the risk ranking holds in aggregate, but individual outcomes are predicted weakly, so results are ranges, never a flat verdict.
Sources: O*NET, Eloundou et al. (2023), GPTs are GPTs, O*NET Work Context, BLS CPI-U, BLS OEWS.
Snapshot SNAPSHOT-2026-11-06. Full method and backtest on How it works.