AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 35-1011.00
Will AI replace Chefs and Head Cooks?
Chefs and Head Cooks: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 21 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 21 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Chefs and Head Cooks, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Coordinate planning, budgeting, or purchasing for all the food operations within establishments such as clubs, hotels, or restaurant chains. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Plan, direct, or supervise food preparation or cooking activities of multiple kitchens or restaurants in an establishment such as a restaurant chain, hospital, or hotel. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Collaborate with other personnel to plan and develop recipes or menus, taking into account such factors as seasonal availability of ingredients or the likely number of customers. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Meet with sales representatives to negotiate prices or order supplies. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Arrange for equipment purchases or repairs. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Check the quantity and quality of received products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Analyze recipes to assign prices to menu items, based on food, labor, and overhead costs. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Determine production schedules and staff requirements necessary to ensure timely delivery of services. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Meet with customers to discuss menus for special occasions, such as weddings, parties, or banquets. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Recruit and hire staff, such as cooks and other kitchen workers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Record production or operational data on specified forms. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Prepare and cook foods of all types, either on a regular basis or for special guests or functions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Demonstrate new cooking techniques or equipment to staff. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 21 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 21 of 21. 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 frontier-tier model or lower covers 33% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 33% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 68% 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
- 200,040
- Median annual wage
- $62,470
- Middle half of earners
- $48,440 to $78,750
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +7.1%
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.
- Cooks, Restaurant 74% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure20
- Cooks, Private Household 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure29
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure32
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 68% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure22
- Cooks, Fast Food 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure21
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Chefs and Head Cooks and AI
Will AI replace Chefs and Head Cooks?
Not on current evidence. None of the 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 23 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.
What is the AI exposure of Chefs and Head Cooks?
23 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 21 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 21 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Chefs and Head Cooks tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation, at 50 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 33% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 68% 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 Chefs and Head Cooks, and what do they earn?
200,040 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $62,470 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +7.1% 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: Chefs and Head Cooks. 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/chefs-and-head-cooks
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