Short answer
Very unlikely. BLS rates automotive and watercraft service attendants among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places automotive and watercraft service attendants in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +3.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 12,900 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- LowBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 64/100Higher than 92% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +3.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 12,900BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed automotive and watercraft service attendants are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants land in the low category: among the occupations least exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions5.0/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Hands-on work with tools and objects4.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Working outdoors in all weather4.5/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Performing for or working directly with the public3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Getting information4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Processing information3.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repetitive motions3.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Being exact or highly accurate4.5/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Check tire pressure and levels of fuel, motor oil, transmission, radiator, battery, or other fluids, adding air or fluids as required.
- Grease and lubricate vehicles or specified units, such as springs, universal joints, or steering knuckles, using grease guns or spray lubricants.
- Sell and install accessories, such as batteries, windshield wiper blades, fan belts, bulbs, or headlamps.
- Rotate, test, and repair or replace tires.
- Perform minor repairs, such as adjusting brakes, replacing spark plugs, or changing engine oil or filters.
- Collect cash payments from customers, and make change or charge purchases to customers' credit cards, providing customers with receipts.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +3.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 12,900 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 102,010 people work in the job today, at a median of $35,670 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full automotive and watercraft service attendant profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers that are also low-exposure
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a low exposure category.
Crane and Tower Operator
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $68,080median a year
- Growth
- +3.8%
- Openings / yr
- 3,500
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 76/100
- resilience
Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions.
Ambulance Driver and Attendant, Except Emergency Medical Technicians
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $35,450median a year
- Growth
- −1.3%
- Openings / yr
- 1,400
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 65/100
- resilience
Drive ambulance or assist ambulance driver in transporting sick, injured, or convalescent persons.
Questions
Will AI Replace Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants? FAQ
Will AI replace automotive and watercraft service attendants?
Very unlikely. BLS rates automotive and watercraft service attendants among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +3.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 12,900 openings a year.
How exposed are automotive and watercraft service attendants to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants are in the low category, alongside 202 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of an automotive and watercraft service attendant's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are getting information, processing information and repetitive motions. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, hands-on work with tools and objects and working outdoors in all weather. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being an automotive and watercraft service attendant a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, automotive and watercraft service attendants score 64 out of 100, higher than 92% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $35,670 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to automotive and watercraft service attendants are less exposed to AI?
Crane and Tower Operator (low exposure, $68,080 median), Ambulance Driver and Attendant, Except Emergency Medical Technicians (low exposure, $35,450 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.