# Will forming press operators be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Forming press operators score 26 of 100 for AI exposure. 57% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 8% today and speed up another 35%. - **8%** AI can do it - **35%** AI helps - **57%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 69% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 26 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 7 and leaves 17 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Record and maintain production data, such as meter readings, and quantities, types, and dimensions of materials produced. Logging meter readings and counts is routine digital record keeping. | 78% AI can do it | | Complete work tickets, and place them with products. Filling work tickets is routine digital paperwork. | 72% AI can do it | | Review work orders, specifications, or instructions to determine materials, ingredients, procedures, components, settings, and adjustments for extruding, forming, pressing, or compacting machines. LLMs can extract settings from specs; setter verifies before running. | 62% AI helps | | Notify supervisors when extruded filaments fail to meet standards. Automated alerts can flag substandard output to supervisors. | 50% AI helps | | Monitor machine operations and observe lights and gauges to detect malfunctions. Sensors and software can flag faults from gauge readings. | 45% AI helps | ## How forming press operators compare All occupations (923) Production (107) **Forming press operators score 26**, 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 22 for production. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $45,760 a year, May 2025 People employed 58,770 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +1.5% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Verify machine settings pulled from work orders before each run - Install, align, and adjust neck rings, press plungers, and feeder tubes - Clean dies and molds with swabs, sponges, and air hoses - Weigh and measure output with micrometers, templates, and scales - Read gauges and lights to catch machine malfunctions early - Plan changeovers in production scheduling software and SAP ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Fiber extrusion operators18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/fiber-extrusion-operators/) - [Machine feeders20 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/machine-feeders/) - [Cutting machine operators22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cutting-machine-operators/) - [Paper goods machine operators16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/paper-goods-machine-operators/) - [Adhesive bonding machine operators22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/adhesive-bonding-machine-operators/) ## Questions about forming press operators and AI Will AI replace forming press operators? Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly recording production data and filling work tickets. Setting up dies, feeding material, and cleaning molds stay with people because they need hands on the equipment. Which tasks is AI taking over for forming press operators? Recording production data, such as meter readings and quantities, scores 78 on exposure because logging counts is routine digital record keeping. Filling work tickets scores 72 for the same reason. Reviewing work orders scores 62, since language models can pull settings from specs, and the setter still checks them before running. Which forming press operator tasks stay human? Cleaning dies, arbors, and molds scores 5 on exposure, the lowest on the list, because it means swabs, sponges, and air hoses on physical parts. Pressing control buttons scores 7. Installing neck rings and press plungers scores 9, since precise hand alignment needs a trained operator at the machine. How can forming press operators stay valuable as AI takes on paperwork? Become the person who checks AI output. Verify settings pulled from work orders against the specification before each run, and keep hands-on skills such as die cleaning and neck ring alignment. Use SAP and production scheduling software to plan changeovers, since those tools now handle much of the record keeping. ## Related jobs - [Molding machine operators18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/molding-machine-operators/) - [Packaging machine operators19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/packaging-machine-operators/) - [Woodworking machine operators16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/woodworking-machine-operators/) - [Press operators18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/press-operators/) ## Next steps for forming press operators - ### 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.