# Will AI replace pilots? Updated October 2026 Commercial pilots score 33 of 100 for AI exposure. 50% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 25% today and speed up another 25%. - **25%** AI can do it - **25%** AI helps - **50%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Lower than 57% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 24 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 6 of them today, speeds up 6 and leaves 12 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Write specified information in flight records, such as flight times, altitudes flown, and fuel consumption. Flight log entries are easily filled from system data. | 75% AI can do it | | File instrument flight plans with air traffic control so that flights can be coordinated with other air traffic. Electronic flight plan filing is routine and easily automated. | 70% AI can do it | | Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne. Takeoff speed math is software computable; pilot verifies results. | 65% AI can do it | | Plan and formulate flight activities and test schedules and prepare flight evaluation reports. Schedules and evaluation reports are drafted easily by AI. | 65% AI can do it | | Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments. Flight planning software drafts plans; pilot checks regulations. | 60% AI can do it | ## How commercial pilots compare All occupations (923) Transportation and material moving (52) **Commercial pilots score 33**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 25 for transportation and material moving. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $123,220 a year, May 2025 People employed 47,630 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +5.2% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Verify AI-computed takeoff speeds against aircraft performance charts - Review flight plans in AeroPlanner against company and government regulations - Hold a Commercial Pilot certificate with instrument rating - Fly instrument approaches in flight simulation software for proficiency - Audit flight logs kept in MJICCS PilotLog or doXstor Flight Level Logbook - Brief crew in person before each air ambulance flight ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Airline pilots32 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/airline-pilots/) - [Aircraft mechanics17 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/aircraft-mechanics/) - [Aviation inspectors31 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/aviation-inspectors/) - [Locomotive engineers22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/locomotive-engineers/) - [Avionics technicians28 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/avionics-technicians/) ## Questions about commercial pilots and AI Will pilots be replaced by AI? Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours of a commercial pilot's day go to tasks AI can already do, mostly writing flight records and filing flight plans with air traffic control. Live flying, emergency rescue and instrument flight in poor visibility stay with people, because they need a pilot physically in the cockpit. Will AI take over pilot jobs? AI can already do 25% of the task time in pilot and speeds up another 25%. People still do 50% of it. The US has 47,630 commercial pilot jobs, with a projected change of +5.2% from 2024 to 2034. Which tasks is AI taking over for commercial pilots? Flight log entries and flight plan filing lead the list, with exposure scores of 75 and 70. Flight records draw from system data, and electronic plans file with air traffic control on routine forms. Takeoff speed math from weight, temperature and wind also scores 65, and the pilot checks the result. Which tasks stay human for commercial pilots? Flying the aircraft stays with pilots, scoring 8 on exposure, because starting engines and working controls need a person in the cockpit. Instrument flying in poor visibility scores 10, since it is live physical control of the aircraft. Rescue and evacuation of injured people scores 3 and needs hands on site. How can commercial pilots stay valuable? Keep your hours in MJICCS PilotLog or doXstor Flight Level Logbook and check any auto-filled entries before signing. Review AeroPlanner flight plans against company and government regulations before each departure. Hold the instrument rating and log live instrument approaches, since checkrides are human evaluations. Train in flight simulation software to keep proficiency sharp for charter and air ambulance work. ## Related jobs - [Flight attendants30 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/flight-attendants/) - [Truck drivers27 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/truck-drivers/) - [Dispatchers65 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dispatchers/) ## Next steps for commercial pilots - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.