Job Check
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
Operate or tend machinery at surface mining site, equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets to excavate and load loose materials.
10 main tasks · most important first
Your main tasks and AI
Importance- 01Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.Mostly human for now
- 02Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation.Mostly human for now
- 03Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.Mostly human for now
- 04Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines so that work can be performed to specifications.Mostly human for now
- 05Operate machinery to perform activities such as backfilling excavations, vibrating or breaking rock or concrete, or making winter roads.Mostly human for now
- 06Receive written or oral instructions regarding material movement or excavation.Mostly human for now
- 07Move materials over short distances, such as around a construction site, factory, or warehouse.Mostly human for now
- 08Create or maintain inclines or ramps.Mostly human for now
- 09Lubricate, adjust, or repair machinery and replace parts, such as gears, bearings, or bucket teeth.Mostly human for now
- 10Handle slides, mud, or pit cleanings or maintenance.Mostly human for now
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
0%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 29% 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 99% 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.
- Move levers, depress foot pedals, and turn dials to operate power machinery, such as power shovels, stripping shovels, scraper loaders, or backhoes.
- Set up or inspect equipment prior to operation.
- Become familiar with digging plans, machine capabilities and limitations, and efficient and safe digging procedures in a given application.