Will AI replace Transportation Security Screeners?
Estimated risk score: 47 out of 100
Moderate 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 (28 to 66).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 26 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 33-9093.00 · Protective Service
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: 8 of its 26 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete.
- Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.
- Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.
- Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries.
- Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment.
- Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 11 of its 26 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal.
- Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them.
- Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches.
- Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
- Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors.
- Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas.
What the job is
Conduct screening of passengers, baggage, or cargo to ensure compliance with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. May operate basic security equipment such as x-ray machines and hand wands at screening checkpoints.
Also called: Transportation Security Officer (TSO), TSA Screener, Airport Screener, Biometric Screener, Passenger Screener, Notification Specialist, Airport Baggage Screener, Airport Security Screener.
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