Home / AI Risk Index / Crane Operator
Will AI replace Crane Operator?
Transportation and Material Moving · $68,080 median pay · Vocational training or associate's degree
Automation exposure
How much of the work AI can already do
More exposed than 11% of the occupations in the index.
Averaged across 12 O*NET tasks, weighted by importance.
AI assistance potential
How much AI tools make the worker more capable
Crane and tower operators perform real-time physical manipulation of heavy machinery, relying heavily on manual dexterity, spatial awareness, and direct site observation. AI tools offer marginal to moderate enhancements through automated load calculations, predictive maintenance sensors, and computer vision systems for hazard detection and blind-spot monitoring. While these smart assistance systems improve safety and operational precision, the core work remains hands-on physical equipment operation.
What the work involves and who it suits, beyond AI.
What the two scores mean
Automation exposure is how much of the work current AI can already perform. A high score means the tasks are exposed, not that the job will disappear: how employers use that is a separate question.
AI assistance potential is how much AI tools make a worker in this occupation more capable. It is upside, not risk — a job can score high on both.
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