Job Check
Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.
10 main tasks · most important first
Your main tasks and AI
Importance- 01Signal other workers by telephone or radio to operate pumps, open and close valves, and check temperatures.Mostly human for now
- 02Maintain and repair equipment, or report malfunctioning equipment to supervisors so that repairs can be scheduled.Mostly human for now
- 03Monitor process indicators, instruments, gauges, and meters to detect and report any possible problems.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 04Start pumps and open valves or use automated equipment to regulate the flow of oil in pipelines and into and out of tanks.Mostly human for now
- 05Operate control panels to coordinate and regulate process variables such as temperature and pressure, and to direct product flow rate, according to process schedules.Mostly human for now
- 06Verify that incoming and outgoing products are moving through the correct meters, and that meters are working properly.Mostly human for now
- 07Patrol units to monitor the amount of oil in storage tanks, and to verify that activities and operations are safe, efficient, and in compliance with regulations.Mostly human for now
- 08Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of system interconnections and capacities.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 09Control or operate manifold and pumping systems to circulate liquids through a petroleum refinery.Mostly human for now
- 10Operate auxiliary equipment and control multiple processing units during distilling or treating operations, moving controls that regulate valves, pumps, compressors, and auxiliary equipment.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 loss4%of this job’s work time goes to tasks that people already do with Claude at work, counting tasks where AI only helps as half (2026).Anthropic, 2026
20%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 14% 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 82% 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.
- Signal other workers by telephone or radio to operate pumps, open and close valves, and check temperatures.
- Maintain and repair equipment, or report malfunctioning equipment to supervisors so that repairs can be scheduled.
- Start pumps and open valves or use automated equipment to regulate the flow of oil in pipelines and into and out of tanks.