AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 53-5021.00

Will AI replace Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels?

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: AI can already handle 4 of 30 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 30 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels, from most to least exposed. 4 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Read gauges to verify sufficient levels of hydraulic fluid, air pressure, or oxygen. 80 Estimated Standard 4.6
Calculate sightings of land, using electronic sounding devices and following contour lines on charts. 80 Estimated Standard 4.2
Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements. 60 Estimated Efficient 4.8
Advise ships' masters on harbor rules and customs procedures. 60 Estimated Standard 4.3
Direct or coordinate crew members or workers performing activities such as loading or unloading cargo, steering vessels, operating engines, or operating, maintaining, or repairing ship equipment. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.1
Inspect vessels to ensure efficient and safe operation of vessels and equipment and conformance to regulations. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Maintain boats or equipment on board, such as engines, winches, navigational systems, fire extinguishers, or life preservers. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Maintain records of daily activities, personnel reports, ship positions and movements, ports of call, weather and sea conditions, pollution control efforts, or cargo or passenger status. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Supervise crews in cleaning or maintaining decks, superstructures, or bridges. 20 Estimated Standard 3.5
Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards. 15 Estimated No tier 5.0
Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations. 15 Estimated No tier 4.9
Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth. 15 Estimated No tier 4.9
Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses. 15 Estimated No tier 4.8
Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations. 15 Estimated No tier 4.7
Dock or undock vessels, sometimes maneuvering through narrow spaces, such as locks. 15 Estimated No tier 4.7
Stand watches on vessels during specified periods while vessels are under way. 15 Estimated No tier 4.6
Tow and maneuver barges or signal tugboats to tow barges to destinations. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Report to appropriate authorities any violations of federal or state pilotage laws. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Provide assistance in maritime rescue operations. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Signal passing vessels, using whistles, flashing lights, flags, or radios. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Measure depths of water, using depth-measuring equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Signal crew members or deckhands to rig tow lines, open or close gates or ramps, or pull guard chains across entries. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Perform various marine duties, such as checking for oil spills or other pollutants around ports or harbors or patrolling beaches. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Observe loading or unloading of cargo or equipment to ensure that handling and storage are performed according to specifications. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Learn to operate new technology systems and procedures through instruction, simulators, or models. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Assign watches or living quarters to crew members. 15 Estimated No tier 3.5
Purchase supplies or equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 3.5
Interview and hire crew members. 15 Estimated No tier 3.2
Conduct safety drills such as man overboard or fire drills. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Arrange for ships to be fueled, restocked with supplies, or repaired. 12 Estimated No tier 4.1

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 30 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 30 of 30. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A standard-tier model or lower covers 27% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 30% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 70% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
36,850
Median annual wage
$92,460
Middle half of earners
$63,880 to $127,180
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+0.5%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels and AI

Will AI replace Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels?

AI already handles 4 of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 24 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +0.5% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels?

24 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 30 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 30 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Read gauges to verify sufficient levels of hydraulic fluid, air pressure, or oxygen; Calculate sightings of land, using electronic sounding devices and following contour lines on charts; Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements. They are three of the 4 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 27% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 70% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels, and what do they earn?

36,850 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $92,460 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +0.5% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/captains-mates-and-pilots-of-water-vessels

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