AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9124.00

Will AI replace Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 29 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs an efficient-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 29 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Determine paint flow, viscosity, and coating quality by performing visual inspections, or by using viscometers. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Apply primer over any repairs made to surfaces. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Fill hoppers, reservoirs, troughs, or pans with material used to coat, paint, or spray, using conveyors or pails. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Thread or feed items or products through or around machine rollers and dryers. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Weigh or measure chemicals, coatings, or paints before adding them to machines. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Start and stop operation of machines, using levers or buttons. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Apply rust-resistant undercoats and caulk and seal seams. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Operate auxiliary machines or equipment used in coating or painting processes. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Remove materials, parts, or workpieces from painting or coating machines, using hand tools. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Attach hoses or nozzles to machines, using wrenches and pliers, and make adjustments to obtain the proper dispersion of spray. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Turn dials, handwheels, valves, or switches to regulate conveyor speeds, machine temperature, air pressure and circulation, and the flow or spray of coatings or paints. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Record operational data on specified forms. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Observe machine gauges and equipment operation to detect defects or deviations from standards, and make adjustments as necessary. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Set up portable equipment, such as ventilators, exhaust units, ladders, or scaffolding. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Examine, measure, weigh, or test sample products to ensure conformance to specifications. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Buff and wax the finished paintwork. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Use brush to hand-paint areas in need of retouching or unreachable with a spray gun. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Adjust controls on infrared ovens, heat lamps, portable ventilators, or exhaust units to speed the drying of surfaces between coats. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Fill small dents or scratches with body fillers and smooth surfaces to prepare for painting. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Mix paints to match color specifications or original colors, stirring or thinning paints, using spatulas or power mixing equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Remove grease, dirt, paint, or rust from surfaces in preparation for paint application, using abrasives, solvents, brushes, blowtorches, washing tanks, or sandblasters. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Sand and apply sealer to properly dried finish. 15 Estimated No tier 3.0
Clean equipment and work areas. 12 Estimated No tier 4.3
Operate lifting or moving devices to move equipment or materials to access areas to be painted. 8 Estimated No tier 4.0

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 29 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 29 of 29. 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

An efficient-tier model or lower covers 6% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 6% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 94% 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
158,740
Median annual wage
$48,250
Middle half of earners
$40,590 to $59,680
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+0.7%

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 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and AI

Will AI replace Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

Not on current evidence. None of the 29 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 15 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 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

15 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 29 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 29 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders tasks can AI already do?

None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Determine paint flow, viscosity, and coating quality by performing visual inspections, or by using viscometers, at 20 out of 100.

What AI model tier does this role need?

An efficient-tier model or lower covers 6% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 94% 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 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, and what do they earn?

158,740 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $48,250 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +0.7% 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: Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. 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/coating-painting-and-spraying-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders

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