Short answer
Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to change by +5.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 171,500 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- HighBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 56/100Higher than 75% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +5.4%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 171,500BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving 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. First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.
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%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High · this job190 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
- Performing for or working directly with the public3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Resolving conflicts and negotiating with others3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Performing general physical activities3.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Coaching and developing others3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Getting information4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Performing administrative activities3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repeating the same tasks3.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Control inventories of food, equipment, smallware, and liquor, and report shortages to designated personnel.
- Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, and work areas to ensure efficient service and conformance to standards.
- Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
- Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures.
- Specify food portions and courses, production and time sequences, and workstation and equipment arrangements.
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 +5.4% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 171,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 1,223,240 people work in the job today, at a median of $44,080 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving 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.
First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
- Median pay
- $59,320median a year
- Growth
- +3.8%
- Openings / yr
- 7,200
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 57/100
- resilience
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of agricultural, forestry, aquacultural, and related workers.
Chef
Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Median pay
- $62,470median a year
- Growth
- +6.6%
- Openings / yr
- 25,200
- Education
- High school
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 60/100
- resilience
Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods.
Food Server, Nonrestaurant
Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Median pay
- $35,360median a year
- Growth
- +4.5%
- Openings / yr
- 48,800
- Education
- No formal credential
- Moderate
- BLS AI exposure
- 57/100
- resilience
Serve food to individuals outside of a restaurant environment, such as in hotel rooms, hospital rooms, residential care facilities, or cars.
Questions
Will AI Replace First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers? FAQ
Will AI replace first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers?
Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it 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 +5.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 171,500 openings a year.
How exposed are first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers are in the high category, alongside 189 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 first-line supervisor of food preparation and serving workers'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, performing administrative activities and evaluating information to determine compliance with standards. The parts that hold up best are performing for or working directly with the public, resolving conflicts and negotiating with others and performing general physical activities. 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 first-line supervisor of food preparation and serving workers a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers score 56 out of 100, higher than 75% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $44,080 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.
What careers similar to first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers are less exposed to AI?
First-Line Supervisor of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers (low exposure, $59,320 median), Chef (moderate exposure, $62,470 median), Food Server, Nonrestaurant (moderate exposure, $35,360 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving 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.