---
title: "Will AI Replace Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders?"
description: "BLS rates packaging and filling machine operators and tenders' exposure to AI as low. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-packaging-and-filling-machine-operators-and-tenders"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders? (2026)

**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.

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.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Low | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 49/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +4.1% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 41,400 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $43,220 | 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

- Hands-on work with tools and objects: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Face-to-face discussions: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Handling and moving objects: 3.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Time spent on your feet: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)

## What AI reaches first

- Repeating the same tasks: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Repetitive motions: 4.1/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Processing information: 3.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards: 3.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- 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.

## Related careers that are also low-exposure

- [Paper Goods Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/paper-goods-machine-setter-operator-and-tender): BLS exposure Low, median $50,270
- [Mixing and Blending Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mixing-and-blending-machine-setter-operator-and-tender): BLS exposure Low, median $48,990
- [Packer and Packager, Hand](https://nuecareer.com/careers/packer-and-packager-hand): BLS exposure Low, median $36,280; [Will AI replace packers and packagers?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-packers-and-packagers)
- [Adhesive Bonding Machine Operator and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/adhesive-bonding-machine-operator-and-tender): BLS exposure Low, median $46,460

## 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.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/packaging-and-filling-machine-operator-and-tender.

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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