Will AI replace Power Plant Operators?
Estimated risk score: 40 out of 100
Lower replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (21 to 59).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 30 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 51-8013.00 · Production
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 7 of its 30 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Record and compile operational data by completing and maintaining forms, logs, or reports.
- Prepare and submit compliance, operational, and safety forms or reports.
- Regulate equipment operations and conditions, such as water levels, based on instrument data or from computers.
- Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
- Verify that well field monitoring data conforms to applicable regulations.
- Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 18 of its 30 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Clean, lubricate, or maintain equipment, such as generators, turbines, pumps, or compressors, to prevent failure or deterioration.
- Control or maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, or chlorinators, to supply water, fuel, lubricants, air, or auxiliary power.
- Make adjustments or minor repairs, such as tightening leaking gland or pipe joints.
- Open and close valves and switches in sequence to start or shut down auxiliary units.
- Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary.
- Adjust controls to generate specified electrical power or to regulate the flow of power between generating stations and substations.
What the job is
Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
Also called: Operations and Maintenance Technician (O and M Tech), Rectifier, O and M Tech, Station Tender, Wellfield Tech, Booster Operator, Natural Gas Tech, Pilot Plant Tech.
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate