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How exposed to AI is a Transportation Security Screener?

Of the 26 tasks O*NET lists for transportation security screeners, 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
Security ScreenerTransportation Security Officer (TSO)
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
26
tasks rated for this occupation
0%
hold a degree, from a survey of 27
48k
people do this job in the US
15 of 26
least protected in protective services

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
  • Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through

Only with software built on top

10
  • Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur
  • Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives
  • Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors
  • Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items
  • Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment
  • Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints
  • Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists
  • Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries
  • Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete
  • View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems

Cannot be sped up

15
  • Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation
  • Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons
  • Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification
  • Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems
  • Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches
  • Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment
  • Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them
  • Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering
  • Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure
  • Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas
  • Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios
  • Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal
  • Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency
  • Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items
  • Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection
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.