← All 785 jobsFile 51-9162
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers
Being rewritten
AI already performs most of the work in this job. Even so, the BLS expects 5.9% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #8 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +5.9% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $68,120 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 28,600 in the US, with about 2,700 openings a year
The work, 11 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
AI does this: Program computer systems or production equipment37%
AI performed this in about 1 in 822 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI does this: Determine operational methods or procedures14%
AI performed this in about 1 in 461 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects9%
AI performed this in about 1 in 529 Copilot conversations and completed it 94% of the time.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI helps with this: Test performance of equipment or systems6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,100 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
AI helps with this: Maintain facilities or equipment5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,312 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
AI does this: Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 683 Copilot conversations and completed it 82% of the time.
AI does this: Plan work activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 720 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Create visual designs or displays4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 78 conversations, and it got them there 40% of the time.
Still yours: Position materials or components for assembly2%
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 106 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 2,700 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 26% of the workMining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers39% AI does, against 77% here+3.8% by 2035 · $106,220 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 25% of the workMachinists17% AI does, against 77% here+1% by 2035 · $58,750 · High school diploma
- Shares 24% of the workElectro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians10% AI does, against 77% here+2.6% by 2035 · $73,900 · Associate’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
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 0.42, higher than 99% 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, 51-9162 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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