As of June 2026, Commercial Pilots has an AI-exposure score of 64/100 (High exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Commercial Pilots
More exposed than 80% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$123,220. About 6,600 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 — growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) — your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
How you compare to similar Transportation roles
Your tasks, by AI exposure
- Write specified information in flight records, such as flight times, altitudes flown, and fuel consumption.
- Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
- Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
- Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
- Coordinate flight activities with ground crews and air traffic control, and inform crew members of flight and test procedures.
- Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
- Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.
- Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- Conduct in-flight tests and evaluations at specified altitudes and in all types of weather to determine the receptivity and other characteristics of equipment and systems.
- File instrument flight plans with air traffic control so that flights can be coordinated with other air traffic.
- Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
- Obtain and review data such as load weights, fuel supplies, weather conditions, and flight schedules to determine flight plans and identify needed changes.
- Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
- Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights.
- Request changes in altitudes or routes as circumstances dictate.
- Perform minor aircraft maintenance and repair work, or arrange for major maintenance.
- Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
- Rescue and evacuate injured persons.
- Check baggage or cargo to ensure that it has been loaded correctly.
- Supervise other crew members.
No durable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as automatable (90%).
Safer adjacent roles
Your AI-Safe Career Report
Every task scored with what to do about it · 5–10 safer roles with salary, demand & reachability · skill-gap map · a 30/60/90-day roadmap · plus a résumé & LinkedIn rewrite · PDF.
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AI was the most-cited reason for U.S. layoffs through mid-2026 — the workers who adapt earliest fare best. — Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 2026The upside: Workers with AI skills earn a roughly 62% wage premium — adapting pays. — PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer, 2026
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