Job Check
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.
10 main tasks · most important first
Your main tasks and AI
Importance- 01Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 02Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.Mostly human for now
- 03Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.Mostly human for now
- 04Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 05Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.Mostly human for now
- 06Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 07Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 08Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.Mostly human for now
- 09Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers.Mostly human for now
- 10Check passenger and cargo distributions and fuel amounts to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
Tasks from O*NET® 31.0 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0, changed by us), most important first. “Already use” comes from Anthropic’s data on real work chats with Claude; “could speed up” from task ratings made with GPT-4 in 2023.
Four studies, side by side
None is a forecast of job lossToo little dataNot enough work use was seen to measure. This does not mean the job is safe from AI.Anthropic, 2026
35%of this job’s tasks an AI model could do in half the time, counting tasks that need extra tools as half (rated in 2023).Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, 2023
Above 30% of jobsin how often and how well AI helped with this job’s work in Microsoft Copilot chats (2024 data).Microsoft Research (Tomlinson et al.), 2025
Above 67% of jobsin how much of this job’s physical work robots have been shown to do, from factories to homes (2026).Anthropic, 2026
Your human edge
The main tasks with no real AI use seen and no big speed-up expected. This is where your skill counts most today.
- Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.
- Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.