← All 785 jobsFile 51-8092
Gas Plant Operators
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 6% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #422 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -6% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $87,820 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 18,200 in the US, with about 1,400 openings a year
The work, 16 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 energy production or distribution equipment25%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Test characteristics of materials or products6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Coordinate with others to resolve problems5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 738 conversations, and it got them there 83% of the time.
AI does this: Diagnose system or equipment problems5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 865 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on business or operational matters5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 290 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
Still yours: Notify others of emergencies or problems4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Repair tools or equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Signal others to coordinate work activities3%
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.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 94 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 1,400 openings a year as people 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 64% of the workStationary Engineers and Boiler Operators5% AI does, against 15% here+3.1% by 2035 · $78,620 · High school diploma
- Shares 49% of the workFurnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders7% AI does, against 15% here+2.6% by 2035 · $48,040 · High school diploma
- Shares 48% of the workChemical Equipment Operators and Tenders4% AI does, against 15% here+3.6% by 2035 · $58,040 · High school diploma
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 0.10, higher than 34% 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, 51-8092 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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