AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-9197.00
Will AI replace Tire Builders?
Tire Builders: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 20 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 20 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Tire Builders, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect worn tires for faults, cracks, cuts, and nail holes, and to determine if tires are suitable for retreading. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Place tires into molds for new tread. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fit inner tubes and final layers of rubber onto tires. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Buff tires according to specifications for width and undertread depth. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Build semi-raw rubber treads onto buffed tire casings to prepare tires for vulcanization in recapping or retreading processes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Brush or spray solvents onto plies to ensure adhesion, and repeat process as specified, alternating direction of each ply to strengthen tires. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Start rollers that bond tread and plies as drums revolve. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Align treads with guides, start drums to wind treads onto plies, and slice ends. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Measure tires to determine mold size requirements. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Trim excess rubber and imperfections during retreading processes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Roll hand rollers over rebuilt casings, exerting pressure to ensure adhesion between camelbacks and casings. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fill cuts and holes in tires, using hot rubber. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Position ply stitcher rollers and drums according to width of stock, using hand tools and gauges. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Cut plies at splice points, and press ends together to form continuous bands. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Depress pedals to rotate drums, and wind specified numbers of plies around drums to form tire bodies. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Clean and paint completed tires. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Rub cement sticks on drum edges to provide adhesive surfaces for plies. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Depress pedals to collapse drums after processing is complete. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Wind chafers and breakers onto plies. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Pull plies from supply racks, and align plies with edges of drums. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 20 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 20 of 20. 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 5% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 5% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 95% 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
- 20,770
- Median annual wage
- $57,390
- Middle half of earners
- $47,900 to $64,380
- 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.
- Tire Repairers and Changers 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure15
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure23
- Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders 61% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure19
- Engine and Other Machine Assemblers 61% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure38
- Bicycle Repairers 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure17
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Tire Builders and AI
Will AI replace Tire Builders?
Not on current evidence. None of the 20 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 Tire Builders?
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 20 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 20 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Tire Builders tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Inspect worn tires for faults, cracks, cuts, and nail holes, and to determine if tires are suitable for retreading, at 20 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 5% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 95% 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 Tire Builders, and what do they earn?
20,770 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $57,390 (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: Tire Builders. 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/tire-builders
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