As of June 2026, Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders has an AI-exposure score of 54/100 (Elevated 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.

AI Exposure Score for

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

54/100
Elevated exposure
LowModerateElevatedHighVery High

More exposed than 45% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$44,810. About 2,400 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.

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How you compare to similar Production roles

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders (you)
54
Dental Laboratory Technicians
54
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
54
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
54
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
54
Printing Press Operators
54
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Your tasks, by AI exposure

Automatable
  • Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
Augmentable
  • Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses.
  • Clean equipment with steam, hot water, and hoses.
  • Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
  • Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
  • Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
  • Clear or dislodge blockages in bins, screens, or other equipment, using poles, brushes, or mallets.
  • Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
  • Open valves, gates, or chutes or use shovels to load or remove products from ovens or other equipment.
  • Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
  • Test products for moisture content, using moisture meters.
  • Push racks or carts to transfer products to storage, cooling stations, or the next stage of processing.
  • Smooth out products in bins, pans, trays, or conveyors, using rakes or shovels.
  • Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
  • Start conveyors to move roasted grain to cooling pans and agitate grain with rakes as blowers force air through perforated bottoms of pans.
  • Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted.
  • Install equipment, such as spray units, cutting blades, or screens, using hand tools.
  • Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand.
  • Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
Durable

No durable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as augmentable (95%).

Safer adjacent roles

Food Batchmakers
80% skills overlap · Elevated exposure · ~US$42,290
55
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
72% skills overlap · Elevated exposure · ~US$41,590
57
Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier, and Kettle Operators and Tenders
56% skills overlap · Elevated exposure · ~US$48,040
54
Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
48% skills overlap · Elevated exposure · ~US$43,530
54
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
40% skills overlap · Elevated exposure · ~US$41,330
54
Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
40% skills overlap · Moderate exposure · ~US$35,730
44
Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
40% skills overlap · Elevated exposure · ~US$48,540
52

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Important: This is an estimate of AI exposure, not a prediction that your job will disappear. It is designed to help you understand how your role may change and improve your career resilience.