AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9195.04
Will AI replace Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers?
Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers: AI can already handle 1 of 16 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 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect, weigh, and measure products to verify conformance to specifications, using instruments such as micrometers, calipers, magnifiers, or rulers. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Design and create glass objects, using blowpipes and artisans' hand tools and equipment. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop sketches of glass products into blueprint specifications, applying knowledge of glass technology and glass blowing. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Operate and maintain finishing machines to grind, drill, sand, bevel, decorate, wash, or polish glass or glass products. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Repair broken scrolls by replacing them with new sections of tubing. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Place glass into dies or molds of presses and control presses to form products, such as glassware components or optical blanks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Spray or swab molds with oil solutions to prevent adhesion of glass. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Heat glass to pliable stage, using gas flames or ovens and rotating glass to heat it uniformly. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Blow tubing into specified shapes to prevent glass from collapsing, using compressed air or own breath, or blow and rotate gathers in molds or on boards to obtain final shapes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Determine types and quantities of glass required to fabricate products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Set up and adjust machine press stroke lengths and pressures and regulate oven temperatures, according to glass types to be processed. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Record manufacturing information, such as quantities, sizes, or types of goods produced. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Shape, bend, or join sections of glass, using paddles, pressing and flattening hand tools, or cork. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Superimpose bent tubing on asbestos patterns to ensure accuracy. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Cut lengths of tubing to specified sizes, using files or cutting wheels. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Place rubber hoses on ends of tubing and charge tubing with gas. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 16 of 16. 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 30% 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
- 33,190
- Median annual wage
- $46,170
- Middle half of earners
- $39,280 to $53,000
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +6.2%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034. BLS publishes these figures by SOC code, so O*NET occupations that share a SOC code show the same figures.
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.
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure18
- Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure15
- Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure23
- Glaziers 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure19
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure23
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers and AI
Will AI replace Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers?
AI already handles 1 of the 16 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 +6.2% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers?
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 16 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 16 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Inspect, weigh, and measure products to verify conformance to specifications, using instruments such as micrometers, calipers, magnifiers, or rulers. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 30% 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 Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers, and what do they earn?
33,190 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $46,170 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +6.2% 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: Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers. 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/glass-blowers-molders-benders-and-finishers
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