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How exposed to AI is a Service Unit Operators, Oil and Ga?

Of the 19 tasks O*NET lists for service unit operators, oil and gas, 1 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 15 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
Pulling Unit OperatorReverse Unit OperatorRig OperatorService OperatorService Rig OperatorTool PusherWell Servicing Rig OperatorWireline Operator
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
19
tasks rated for this occupation
0%
hold a degree, from a survey of only 16
33k
people do this job in the US
10 of 61
least protected in construction

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

1
  • Prepare reports of services rendered, tools used, or time required, for billing purposes

Only with software built on top

3
  • Listen to engines, rotary chains, or other equipment to detect faulty operations or unusual well conditions
  • Confer with others to gather information regarding pipe or tool sizes or borehole conditions in wells
  • Monitor sound wave-generating or detecting mechanisms to determine well fluid levels

Cannot be sped up

15
  • Maintain and perform safety inspections on equipment and tools
  • Operate controls that raise derricks or level rigs
  • Install pressure-control devices onto wellheads
  • Operate pumps that circulate water, oil, or other fluids through wells to remove sand or other materials obstructing the free flow of oil
  • Drive truck-mounted units to well sites
  • Interpret instrument readings to ascertain the depth of obstruction
  • Thread cables through derrick pulleys, using hand tools
  • Select fishing methods or tools for removing obstacles such as liners, broken casing, screens, or drill pipe
  • Close and seal wells no longer in use
  • Direct drilling crews performing activities such as assembling and connecting pipe, applying weights to drill pipes, or drilling around lodged obstacles
  • Apply green technologies or techniques, such as the use of coiled tubing, slim-hole drilling, horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, or gas lift systems
  • Operate specialized equipment to remove obstructions by backing off or severing pipes by chemical or explosive action
  • Perforate well casings or sidewalls of boreholes with explosive charges
  • Examine unserviceable wells to determine actions to be taken to improve well conditions
  • Insert detection instruments into wells with obstructions
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.