AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 47-5041.00

Will AI replace Continuous Mining Machine Operators?

Continuous Mining Machine Operators: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 15 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 15 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Continuous Mining Machine Operators, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Apply new technologies developed to minimize the environmental impact of coal mining. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.8
Install casings to prevent cave-ins. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Repair, oil, and adjust machines, and change cutting teeth, using wrenches. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated. 15 Estimated No tier 4.8
Conduct methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air. 15 Estimated No tier 4.7
Check the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas. 15 Estimated No tier 4.7
Operate mining machines to gather coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars. 15 Estimated No tier 4.6
Move controls to start and regulate movement of conveyors and to start and position drill cutters or torches. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Reposition machines to make additional holes or cuts. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Determine locations, boundaries, and depths of holes or channels to be cut. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Observe and listen to equipment operation to detect binding or stoppage of tools or other equipment malfunctions. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Scrape or wash conveyors, using belt scrapers or belt washers, to minimize dust production. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Move levers to raise and lower hydraulic safety bars supporting roofs above machines until other workers complete framing. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Guide and assist crews laying track and resetting supports and blocking. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Drive machines into position at working faces. 8 Estimated No tier 4.5

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 15 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 15 of 15. 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 19% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 19% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 81% 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
14,000
Median annual wage
$61,810
Middle half of earners
$51,610 to $77,570
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+0.6%

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 Continuous Mining Machine Operators and AI

Will AI replace Continuous Mining Machine Operators?

Not on current evidence. None of the 15 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 17 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 Continuous Mining Machine Operators?

17 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 15 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 15 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Continuous Mining Machine Operators tasks can AI already do?

None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Apply new technologies developed to minimize the environmental impact of coal mining, at 50 out of 100.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 19% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 81% 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 Continuous Mining Machine Operators, and what do they earn?

14,000 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $61,810 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +0.6% 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: Continuous Mining Machine Operators. 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/continuous-mining-machine-operators

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