← All 785 jobsFile 35-2012
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 2.8% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #613 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +2.8% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $37,450 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 454,000 in the US, with about 62,900 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 helps with this: Prepare foods or beverages14%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 859 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance12%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect facilities or equipment12%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Move materials, equipment, or supplies6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Stock supplies or products6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Provide food or beverage services5%
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: Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Purchase goods or services3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 214 conversations, and it got them there 91% of the time.
AI helps with this: Develop recipes or menus3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,712 conversations, and it got them there 88% of the time.
AI does this: Determine values or prices of goods or services1%
AI performed this in about 1 in 510 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 103 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 62,900 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 37% of the workCooks, Fast Food0% AI does, against 5% here+0.6% by 2035 · $30,890 · No formal credential
- Shares 32% of the workDining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers0% AI does, against 5% here+5.3% by 2035 · $33,980 · No formal credential
- Shares 31% of the workBiological Technicians0% AI does, against 5% here+7.4% by 2035 · $57,510 · 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 0.07, higher than 21% 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, 35-2012 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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