---
title: "Will AI Replace Crane Operators? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates crane operators' exposure to AI as low. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (+3.8% projected)."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-crane-operators"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Crane Operators? (2026)

**Short answer:** Very unlikely. BLS rates crane operators among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places crane operators 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 3,500 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Low | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 76/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +3.8% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 3,500 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $68,080 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low (this job) | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Handling and moving objects: 4.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Face-to-face discussions: 5.0/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment: 5.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Repetitive motions: 4.3/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Processing information: 3.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repeating the same tasks: 3.8/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Time spent sitting: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work context)

## O\*NET tasks

- Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
- Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
- Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
- Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.
- Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.
- Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.

## FAQ

**Will AI replace crane operators?**

Very unlikely. BLS rates crane operators 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 3,500 openings a year.

**How exposed are crane operators to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Crane Operators 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 a crane and tower operator's job can AI do?**

In O\*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are repetitive motions, processing information and repeating the same tasks. The parts that hold up best are handling and moving objects, face-to-face discussions and operating vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment. These come from O\*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

**Is being a crane and tower operator a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, crane operators score 76 out of 100, higher than 100% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $68,080 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.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/crane-and-tower-operator.

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology