AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-6062.00
Will AI replace Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders: AI can already handle 1 of 18 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 18 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install, level, and align components, such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles, to set up machinery for operation. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Repair or replace worn or defective parts or components, using hand tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Thread yarn, thread, or fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Operate machines to cut multiple layers of fabric into parts for articles such as canvas goods, house furnishings, garments, hats, or stuffed toys. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Adjust cutting techniques to types of fabrics and styles of garments. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Place patterns on top of layers of fabric and cut fabric following patterns, using electric or manual knives, cutters, or computer numerically controlled cutting devices. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Program electronic equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Study guides, samples, charts, and specification sheets or confer with supervisors or engineering staff to determine set-up requirements. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Start machines, monitor operations, and make adjustments as needed. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Stop machines when specified amounts of product have been produced. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Adjust machine controls, such as heating mechanisms, tensions, or speeds, to produce specified products. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Record information about work completed and machine settings. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Notify supervisors of mechanical malfunctions. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Confer with coworkers to obtain information about orders, processes, or problems. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oilcans, and grease guns. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 18 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 18 of 18. 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 22% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 27% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 73% 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
- 9,000
- Median annual wage
- $38,760
- Middle half of earners
- $34,230 to $45,220
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -11.7%
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.
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 82% skill overlap, about 6 months to move Exposure26
- Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 81% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure19
- Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure21
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure22
- Cutters and Trimmers, Hand 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure15
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders and AI
Will AI replace Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?
AI already handles 1 of the 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 20 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 -11.7% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders?
20 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 18 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 18 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 22% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 73% 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 Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, and what do they earn?
9,000 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $38,760 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -11.7% 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: Textile Cutting 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/textile-cutting-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders
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