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AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Food Preparation Workers? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places food preparation workers in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to fall by 3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 135,700 openings a year.

Short answer

Very unlikely. BLS rates food preparation workers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

BLS AI exposure
LowBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
49/100Higher than 59% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
-3.0%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
135,700BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed food preparation 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. Food Preparation Workers 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

  1. Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 discussions4.1/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Time spent on your feet4.4/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Performing general physical activities3.4/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects3.6/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Getting information3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Being exact or highly accurate4.2/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

The tasks O*NET lists for food preparation workers

  • Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware.
  • Carry food supplies, equipment, and utensils to and from storage and work areas.
  • Remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers.
  • Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage.
  • Inform supervisors when equipment is not working properly and when food and supplies are getting low, and order needed items.
  • Receive and store food supplies, equipment, and utensils in refrigerators, cupboards, and other storage 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 -3.0% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 135,700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 893,600 people work in the job today, at a median of $35,320 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full food preparation worker 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

Will AI replace bussers?Will AI replace dishwashers?

Questions

Will AI Replace Food Preparation Workers? FAQ

Will AI replace food preparation workers?

Very unlikely. BLS rates food preparation workers 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 fall by 3.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 135,700 openings a year.

How exposed are food preparation workers to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Food Preparation Workers 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 food preparation 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 getting information, evaluating information to determine compliance with standards and being exact or highly accurate. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, time spent on your feet 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 food preparation worker a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, food preparation workers score 49 out of 100, higher than 59% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $35,320 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 food preparation 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). 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.