Commercial Pilots

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

• Write specified information in flight records, such as flight times, altitudes flown, and fuel consumption.70

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• File instrument flight plans with air traffic control so that flights can be coordinated with other air traffic.55
• Obtain and review data such as load weights, fuel supplies, weather conditions, and flight schedules to determine flight plans and identify needed changes.50
• Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.45

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Rescue and evacuate injured persons.5
• Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.10
• Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.15

Task exposure values and classifications are published, versioned estimates audited against the anchored rubric. This page reads them from the data release rather than generating them at request time. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 28 puts Commercial Pilots in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this level is about the mix: 1 of 20 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 5 augmentable, and 14 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

No adjacent role in the current data release is at least 10 points lower with ≥50% skill overlap — we don’t label anything “safer” unless the data supports it.

Labor-market context

• $123,220median wage
• 47,630employed
• 6,600annual openings
• +5.2%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers 32
• Air Traffic Controllers 20
• Airfield Operations Specialists 31
• Aviation Inspectors 30
• Locomotive Engineers 23
• Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 18

How this score was calculated

FAQ — Commercial Pilots

Will AI replace Commercial Pilots?

This score cannot predict whether this occupation or any individual job will be replaced. It shows which tasks current and near-term AI can perform or accelerate, which tasks remain more durable, and where a worker can adapt. Employer decisions, demand, regulation, and how the role changes are outside the score.

What does a score of 28 mean for a Commercial Pilots?

It means that, weighted across the 20 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 28 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

The highest-exposure tasks are: Write specified information in flight records, such as flight times, altitudes flown, and fuel consumption. Exposure comes from the published, rubric-scored data release rather than being generated when you open this page.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Rescue and evacuate injured persons; Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight according to flight plans, regulations, and procedures; Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.