Short answer
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Fast Food Workers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places fast food workers in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +5.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 827,400 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 48/100Higher than 56% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +5.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 827,400BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed fast food workers 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. Fast Food Workers land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.
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
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate · this job194 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 discussions4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Dealing with the public4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Time spent on your feet4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Performing for or working directly with the public3.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Repeating the same tasks3.8/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Repetitive motions4.1/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Being exact or highly accurate4.1/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Getting information3.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for fast food workers
- Communicate with customers regarding orders, comments, and complaints.
- Brew coffee and tea, and fill containers with requested beverages.
- Serve customers in eating places that specialize in fast service and inexpensive carry-out food.
- Accept payment from customers, and make change as necessary.
- Serve food, beverages, or desserts to customers in such settings as take-out counters of restaurants or lunchrooms, business or industrial establishments, hotel rooms, and cars.
- Clean and organize eating, service, and kitchen areas.
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 +5.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 827,400 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 3,854,050 people work in the job today, at a median of $31,200 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full fast food and counter worker profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than fast food workers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper
Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Median pay
- $33,980median a year
- Growth
- +5.3%
- Openings / yr
- 95,300
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 60/100
- resilience
Facilitate food service.
Dishwasher
Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Median pay
- $34,810median a year
- Growth
- −1.0%
- Openings / yr
- 68,900
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 56/100
- resilience
Clean dishes, kitchen, food preparation equipment, or utensils.
Cook, Institution and Cafeteria
Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Median pay
- $37,450median a year
- Growth
- +2.8%
- Openings / yr
- 62,900
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 53/100
- resilience
Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.
Food Preparation Worker
Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Median pay
- $35,320median a year
- Growth
- −3.0%
- Openings / yr
- 135,700
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 49/100
- resilience
Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.
Questions
Will AI Replace Fast Food Workers? FAQ
Will AI replace fast food workers?
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average. 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 +5.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 827,400 openings a year.
How exposed are fast food workers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Fast Food Workers are in the moderate category, alongside 193 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 fast food and counter worker's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are repeating the same tasks, repetitive motions and being exact or highly accurate. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, dealing with the public and time spent on your feet. 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 fast food and counter worker a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, fast food workers score 48 out of 100, higher than 56% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $31,200 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 fast food workers are less exposed to AI?
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper (low exposure, $33,980 median), Dishwasher (low exposure, $34,810 median), Cook, Institution and Cafeteria (low exposure, $37,450 median), Food Preparation Worker (low exposure, $35,320 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than fast food workers, 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.