Job Check
Transportation Security Screeners
Conduct screening of passengers, baggage, or cargo to ensure compliance with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. May operate basic security equipment such as x-ray machines and hand wands at screening checkpoints.
10 main tasks · most important first
Your main tasks and AI
Importance- 01Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 02Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.Mostly human for now
- 03Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 04Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 05Perform 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.Mostly human for now
- 06Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.Mostly human for now
- 07Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment.Mostly human for now
- 08Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 09Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them.Mostly human for now
- 10Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives.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
26%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 71% 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 63% 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.
- Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons.
- 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.
- Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur.