AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9032.00

Will AI replace Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: AI can already handle 4 of 25 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 25 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, 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
Stack and sort cut material for packaging, further processing, or shipping, according to types and sizes of material. 90 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices, such as rulers, micrometers, or scales. 80 Estimated Standard 4.4
Start machines to verify setups, and make any necessary adjustments. 80 Estimated Standard 4.3
Review work orders, blueprints, specifications, or job samples to determine components, settings, and adjustments for cutting and slicing machines. 65 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Maintain production records, such as quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Select and install machine components, such as cutting blades, rollers, and templates, according to specifications, using hand tools. 20 Estimated Standard 3.9
Tighten pulleys or add abrasives to maintain cutting speeds. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut or slice materials, such as glass, stone, cork, rubber, tobacco, food, paper, or insulating material. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Press buttons, pull levers, or depress pedals to start and operate cutting and slicing machines. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Feed stock into cutting machines, onto conveyors, or under cutting blades, by threading, guiding, pushing, or turning handwheels. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Mark cutting lines or identifying information on stock, using marking pencils, rulers, or scribes. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Monitor operation of cutting or slicing machines to detect malfunctions or to determine whether supplies need replenishment. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Adjust machine controls to alter position, alignment, speed, or pressure. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Remove completed materials or products from cutting or slicing machines, and stack or store them for additional processing. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Remove defective or substandard materials from machines, and readjust machine components so that products meet standards. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Position stock along cutting lines, or against stops on beds of scoring or cutting machines. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Type instructions on computer keyboards, push buttons to activate computer programs, or manually set cutting guides, clamps, and knives. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Change or replace saw blades, cables, cutter heads, and grinding wheels, using hand tools. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Position width gauge blocks between blades, and level blades and insert wedges into frames to secure blades to frames. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Direct workers on cutting teams. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Sharpen cutting blades, knives, or saws, using files, bench grinders, or honing stones. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Turn cranks or press buttons to activate winches that move cars under sawing cables or saw frames. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Cut stock manually to prepare for machine cutting, using tools such as knives, cleavers, handsaws, or hammers and chisels. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Clean and lubricate cutting machines, conveyors, blades, saws, or knives, using steam hoses, scrapers, brushes, or oil cans. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Move stock or scrap to and from machines manually, or by using carts, handtrucks, or lift trucks. 8 Estimated No tier 4.0

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 25 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 25 of 25. 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 29% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 29% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 72% 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
44,980
Median annual wage
$46,570
Middle half of earners
$39,440 to $53,800
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-2.3%

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 Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and AI

Will AI replace Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

AI already handles 4 of the 25 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 26 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 -2.3% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?

26 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 25 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 25 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Stack and sort cut material for packaging, further processing, or shipping, according to types and sizes of material; Examine, measure, and weigh materials or products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring devices, such as rulers, micrometers, or scales; Start machines to verify setups, and make any necessary adjustments. 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 29% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 72% 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 Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, and what do they earn?

44,980 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $46,570 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -2.3% 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: Cutting and Slicing 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/cutting-and-slicing-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders

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