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How exposed to AI is a Gem and Diamond Worker?

Of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for gem and diamond workers, 0 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 17 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Diamond CutterDiamond GraderDiamond PickerDiamond PolisherDiamond SawerDiamond SetterFacetorGemologistLapidarist
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
22
tasks rated for this occupation
19%
hold a degree, from a survey of only 19
24k
people do this job in the US
20 of 107
least protected in production

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Only with software built on top

5
  • Examine gems during processing to ensure accuracy of angles and positions of cuts or bores, using magnifying glasses, loupes, or shadowgraphs
  • Examine gem surfaces and internal structures, using polariscopes, refractometers, microscopes, and other optical instruments, to differentiate between stones, to identify rare specimens, or to detect flaws, defects, or peculiarities affecting gem values
  • Advise customers and others on the best use of gems to create attractive jewelry items
  • Examine diamonds or gems to ascertain the shape, cut, and width of cut stones, or to select the cuts that will result in the biggest, best quality stones
  • Immerse stones in prescribed chemical solutions to determine specific gravities and key properties of gemstones or substitutes

Cannot be sped up

17
  • Assign polish, symmetry, and clarity grades to stones, according to established grading systems
  • Estimate wholesale and retail value of gems, following pricing guides, market fluctuations, and other relevant economic factors
  • Identify and document stones' clarity characteristics, using plot diagrams
  • Hold stones, gems, dies, or styluses against rotating plates, wheels, saws, or slitters to cut, shape, slit, grind, or polish them
  • Sort rough diamonds into categories based on shape, size, color, and quality
  • Secure gems or diamonds in holders, chucks, dops, lapidary sticks, or blocks for cutting, polishing, grinding, drilling, or shaping
  • Locate and mark drilling or cutting positions on stones or dies, using diamond chips and power hand tools
  • Place stones in clamps on polishing machines and polish facets of stones, using felt-covered or canvas-covered polishing wheels and polishing compounds such as tripoli and rouge
  • Lap girdles on rough diamonds, using diamond girdling lathes
  • Measure sizes of stones' bore holes and cuts to ensure adherence to specifications, using precision measuring instruments
  • Select shaping wheels for tasks, and mix and apply abrasives, bort, or polishing compounds
  • Split gems along pre-marked lines to remove imperfections, using blades and jewelers' hammers
  • Regulate the speed of revolutions and reciprocating actions of drilling mechanisms
  • Replace, true, and sharpen blades, drills, and plates
  • Secure stones in metal mountings, using solder
  • Dismantle lapping, boring, cutting, polishing, and shaping equipment and machinery to clean and lubricate it
  • Regrind drill points, and advance drill cutting points according to specifications for channel depths and shapes
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.