← All 785 jobsFile 53-2012
Commercial Pilots
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 5.2% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #410 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +5.2% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $123,220 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 50,400 in the US, with about 5,200 openings a year
The work, 18 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles15%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities11%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,065 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI does this: Determine operational methods or procedures11%
AI performed this in about 1 in 461 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Inspect vehicles7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Plan work activities6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 482 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Resolve personnel or operational problems6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Manage control systems or activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Train others on operational or work procedures3%
AI does this in desk jobs, but in this one it is mostly hands-on.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
Still yours: Schedule operational activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain vehicles in working condition3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Intervene in crisis situations or emergencies2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 105 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 5,200 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 27% of the workShip Engineers3% AI does, against 16% here+2.7% by 2035 · $109,530 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 39% of the workRailroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers5% AI does, against 16% here+0.8% by 2035 · $68,840 · High school diploma
- Shares 30% of the workDriver/Sales Workers9% AI does, against 16% here+7.9% by 2035 · $38,770 · High school diploma
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.16, higher than 55% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 53-2012 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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