Will AI replace Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?
Work in Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers sits in the in-between: AI reaches some of it (~35% in theory) but is only measured doing about 0% today — part human, part machine.
O*NET-SOC 53-2011
How your 18 core tasks split
Top = what GPT-4 judged AI could speed up. Bottom = how much AI was actually used for these tasks (Anthropic's March 2026 report, usage from Aug & Nov 2025). The gap is the real story.
Back in 2023, GPT-4 judged AI could, in theory, assist with a moderate share of this job's tasks (~35%). By late 2025, real-world AI use had reached about 0% of its task activity (still rare). The gap between that 2023 forecast and today is the real story.
Where this job sits among 738 jobs
Each dot is one of 738 U.S. jobs. Right = AI can do more of it. Up = AI is actually used more.
The signals here line up
Theoretical reach (~35%), real-world use (~0%) and the task-level picture mostly agree — so this read is more reliable than for jobs where the signals contradict each other. Even so, AI-risk estimates shift by model (a 2026 study saw the "high-risk" share swing 2.7%–51.5%), so treat these as directional, not destiny.
See all 18 tasks, ratedBased on real task-level AI scores — click to collapse
- Record in log books information, such as flight times, distances flown, and fuel consumption.
- Make announcements regarding flights, using public address systems.
- Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.
- Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.
- Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
- Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
- Check passenger and cargo distributions and fuel amounts to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met.
- Confer with flight dispatchers and weather forecasters to keep abreast of flight conditions.
- Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
- Brief crews about flight details, such as destinations, duties, and responsibilities.
- Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights.
- 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.
- Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.
- Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers.
- Direct activities of aircraft crews during flights.
- Instruct other pilots and student pilots in aircraft operations and the principles of flight.
How we measured this — and how fresh it is
AI's theoretical reach data: 2023
From GPTs-are-GPTs (Eloundou et al.), where GPT-4 rated how much of each task an AI tool could meaningfully speed up. This is the most recent open, commercially-usable occupation-level potential dataset — it dates to 2023. Newer multi-model re-runs exist but swing wildly (one 2026 study saw "high-risk" jobs range 2.7%–51.5% by model) and aren't openly licensed, so we show the stable 2023 baseline and pair it with newer real-world data.
Real-world AI use 2026 report
From the Anthropic Economic Index, which observes how real Claude conversations map onto each occupation's tasks. Published in Anthropic's March 2026 labor-market report, based on usage measured in Aug & Nov 2025 (Sonnet 4 / 4.5).
Task list & ratings O*NET 30.3
Tasks come from O*NET 30.3. Each task's "AI can do / speeds up / still on you" tier uses the real task-level exposure scores from GPTs-are-GPTs (E1 / E2 / E0) — not a guess from keywords.
Sources: O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0) · GPTs-are-GPTs (MIT, 2023) · Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY, Aug & Nov 2025). Page compiled June 2026. "O*NET" is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor.
This page is for general informational purposes only and is not career, financial, or employment advice. AI exposure reflects research estimates of task overlap, not predictions about any individual's job, employer, or future employment.