Short answer
Very unlikely. BLS rates packaging and filling machine operators and tenders 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 Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places packaging and filling machine operators and tenders in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +4.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 41,400 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- LowBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 49/100Higher than 59% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +4.1%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 41,400BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed packaging and filling machine operators and tenders 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. Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 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
- Hands-on work with tools and objects4.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Face-to-face discussions4.2/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Handling and moving objects3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Time spent on your feet4.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Repeating the same tasks4.0/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Repetitive motions4.1/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Processing information3.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Remove finished packaged items from machine and separate rejected items.
- Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.
- Inspect and remove defective products and packaging material.
- Stock and sort product for packaging or filling machine operation, and replenish packaging supplies, such as wrapping paper, plastic sheet, boxes, cartons, glue, ink, or labels.
- Stack finished packaged items, or wrap protective material around each item, and pack the items in cartons or containers.
- Stop or reset machines when malfunctions occur, clear machine jams, and report malfunctions to a supervisor.
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 +4.1% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 41,400 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 379,060 people work in the job today, at a median of $43,220 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full packaging and filling machine operator and tender 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.
- Median pay
- $50,270median a year
- Growth
- −3.6%
- Openings / yr
- 9,000
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 58/100
- resilience
Set up, operate, or tend paper goods machines that perform a variety of functions, such as converting, sawing, corrugating, banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, forming, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets into pro…
- Median pay
- $48,990median a year
- Growth
- −6.1%
- Openings / yr
- 7,900
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 58/100
- resilience
Set up, operate, or tend machines to mix or blend materials, such as chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.
Packer and Packager, Hand
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $36,280median a year
- Growth
- −5.0%
- Openings / yr
- 61,800
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 56/100
- resilience
Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.
- Median pay
- $46,460median a year
- Growth
- +1.3%
- Openings / yr
- 1,300
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 51/100
- resilience
Operate or tend bonding machines that use adhesives to join items for further processing or to form a completed product.
Questions
Will AI Replace Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders? FAQ
Will AI replace packaging and filling machine operators and tenders?
Very unlikely. BLS rates packaging and filling machine operators and tenders 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 +4.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 41,400 openings a year.
How exposed are packaging and filling machine operators and tenders to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 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 packaging and filling machine operator and tender'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 processing information. The parts that hold up best are hands-on work with tools and objects, face-to-face discussions and handling and moving objects. 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 packaging and filling machine operator and tender a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, packaging and filling machine operators and tenders score 49 out of 100, higher than 59% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $43,220 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 packaging and filling machine operators and tenders are less exposed to AI?
Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender (low exposure, $50,270 median), Mixing and Blending Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender (low exposure, $48,990 median), Packer and Packager, Hand (low exposure, $36,280 median), Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender (low exposure, $46,460 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.