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How exposed to AI is a Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weigher?

Of the 32 tasks O*NET lists for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers, 2 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 22 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
InspectorQA Auditor (Quality Assurance Auditor)QA Inspector (Quality Assurance Inspector)QA Technician (Quality Assurance Technician)QC Technician (Quality Control Technician)Quality AuditorQuality Control Inspector (QC Inspector)Quality InspectorQuality TechnicianTest Technician
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
32
tasks rated for this occupation
0%
hold a degree, from a survey of 20
551k
people do this job in the US
9 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.

Reachable with a chat window today

2
  • Analyze test data, making computations as necessary, to determine test results
  • Compute defect percentages or averages, using formulas and calculators

Only with software built on top

8
  • Mark items with details, such as grade or acceptance-rejection status
  • Notify supervisors or other personnel of production problems
  • Write test or inspection reports describing results, recommendations, or needed repairs
  • Recommend necessary corrective actions, based on inspection results
  • Record inspection or test data, such as weights, temperatures, grades, or moisture content, and quantities inspected or graded
  • Compare colors, shapes, textures, or grades of products or materials with color charts, templates, or samples to verify conformance to standards
  • Administer tests to assess whether engineers or operators are qualified to use equipment
  • Interpret legal requirements, provide safety information, or recommend compliance procedures to contractors, craft workers, engineers, or property owners

Cannot be sped up

22
  • Discard or reject products, materials, or equipment not meeting specifications
  • Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as rulers, calipers, gauges, or micrometers
  • Inspect, test, or measure materials, products, installations, or work for conformance to specifications
  • Read dials or meters to verify that equipment is functioning at specified levels
  • Make minor adjustments to equipment, such as turning setscrews to calibrate instruments to required tolerances
  • Read blueprints, data, manuals, or other materials to determine specifications, inspection and testing procedures, adjustment methods, certification processes, formulas, or measuring instruments required
  • Monitor production operations or equipment to ensure conformance to specifications, making necessary process or assembly adjustments
  • Position products, components, or parts for testing
  • Remove defects, such as chips, burrs, or lap corroded or pitted surfaces
  • Collect or select samples for testing or for use as models
  • Stack or arrange tested products for further processing, shipping, or packaging
  • Check arriving materials to ensure that they match purchase orders, submitting discrepancy reports as necessary
  • Inspect or test raw materials, parts, or products to determine compliance with environmental standards
  • Clean, maintain, calibrate, or repair measuring instruments or test equipment, such as dial indicators, fixed gauges, or height gauges
  • Fabricate, install, position, or connect components, parts, finished products, or instruments for testing or operational purposes
  • Monitor machines that automatically measure, sort, or inspect products
  • Adjust, clean, or repair products or processing equipment to correct defects found during inspections
  • Compute usable amounts of items in shipments
  • Inspect or test cleantech or green technology parts, products, or installations, such as fuel cells, solar panels, or air quality devices, for conformance to specifications or standards
  • Grade, classify, or sort products according to sizes, weights, colors, or other specifications
  • Disassemble defective parts or components, such as inaccurate or worn gauges or measuring instruments
  • Weigh materials, products, containers, or samples to verify packaging weights or ingredient quantities
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.