← All 785 jobsFile 53-2021
Air Traffic Controllers
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 1.7% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #163 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +1.7% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $148,080 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 24,000 in the US, with about 2,100 openings a year
The work, 15 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities19%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance14%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct vehicle traffic14%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Notify others of emergencies or problems11%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Plan work activities7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 720 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Intervene in crisis situations or emergencies5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Manage control systems or activities5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct security or safety activities or operations4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Train others on operational or work procedures4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 348 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain operational records4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Operate communications equipment or systems3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,650 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
AI does this: Compile records, documentation, or other data3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 301 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 824 Copilot conversations and completed it 86% of the time.
AI does this: Determine operational methods or procedures2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 461 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 102 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 2,100 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 43% of the workAirline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers22% AI does, against 37% here+8.3% by 2035 · $232,140 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 38% of the workCommercial Pilots16% AI does, against 37% here+5.2% by 2035 · $123,220 · Postsecondary certificate
- Shares 22% of the workIndustrial Production Managers22% AI does, against 37% here+2.6% by 2035 · $126,060 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.17, higher than 60% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 53-2021 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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