Will oil rig drillers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Oil rig drillers score 14 of 100 for AI exposure. 88% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 6% today and speed up another 6%.
- 6% AI can do it
- 6% AI helps
- 88% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 91% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 20 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 1 and leaves 18 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required. AI compiles footage and strata logs; supervisor reviews entries. | 75% AI can do it |
| Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective. AI drafts procedure documents; supervisor leads on site training. | 25% AI helps |
| Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools. Bit changes are hands on; AI can suggest bit types. | 18% Needs a person |
| Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud. Mixing mud is physical; software can help with recipes. | 15% Needs a person |
| Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells. Directing crews is live supervision; AI helps scheduling only. | 15% Needs a person |
| Remove core samples during drilling to determine the nature of the strata being drilled. Core extraction is physical; AI can help interpret core logs. | 12% Needs a person |
| Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes. Counting physical pipe sections needs a person on site. | 10% Needs a person |
| Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance. Machine adjustment and repair needs physical inspection and tools. | 10% Needs a person |
| Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well. Pump inspection needs on site presence; sensors help a little. | 10% Needs a person |
| Position and prepare truck-mounted derricks at drilling areas specified on field maps. Rig positioning is physical; AI can read maps only. | 8% Needs a person |
Show the other 10 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Plug observation wells, and restore sites. Plugging wells and restoring sites is physical field work. | 6% Needs a person |
| Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes. Live pressure and throttle control needs physical operator presence. | 5% Needs a person |
| Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools. Fishing lost tools from wells needs hands on, physical skill. | 5% Needs a person |
| Repair or replace defective parts of machinery, such as rotary drill rigs, water trucks, air compressors, and pumps, using hand tools. Replacing defective parts with hand tools is hands on repair. | 5% Needs a person |
| Cap wells with packers, or turn valves, to regulate outflow of oil from wells. Valve and packer work is physical well site control. | 5% Needs a person |
| Line drilled holes with pipes, and install all necessary hardware, to prepare new wells. Installing casing and hardware is physical field work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells. Operating brakes and levers on draw works is physical work. | 3% Needs a person |
| Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs. Connecting pipe with tongs and wrenches is hands on work. | 3% Needs a person |
| Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables. Oiling and cleaning cables is physical maintenance work. | 3% Needs a person |
| Bolt together pump and engine parts, and connect tanks and flow lines. Bolting and connecting equipment is physical assembly work. | 3% Needs a person |
How oil rig drillers compare
All occupations (923)
Construction and extraction (61)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $67,890 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 12,600 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +0.8% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Keep footage and strata logs accurate in Pason WellView Field Solution
- Interpret core samples to check AI strata logs
- Select and change drill bits by strata type
- Lead on-site crew training and drill safety procedures
- Mix drilling mud to recipe and weight
- Maintain pipe records in Drillingsoftware Tubular Database
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about oil rig drillers and AI
Will AI replace oil rig drillers?
Partly. About 1 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly compiling footage and strata records and drafting crew procedure documents. Hands on work at the rig stays with people, because bit changes, pipe connections and fishing lost tools need a person on the floor.
Which oil rig driller tasks is AI taking over?
Record keeping has the highest exposure, with a score of 75. AI compiles footage drilled, strata penetrated, materials, tools and time into logs, and a supervisor reviews the entries. Drafting training procedures scores 25, so AI writes the documents while supervisors lead the training on site.
Which oil rig driller tasks stay human?
Pushing draw works levers, connecting drill pipe with tongs and recovering lost bits from wells all score 3 to 5 on exposure. These need hands on physical skill at the rig. Mixing drilling mud and changing bits score 15 and 18, and AI only suggests mud recipes or bit types.
How can oil rig drillers stay valuable?
Keep footage and strata logs accurate in Pason WellView Field Solution, since AI builds its summaries from your entries. Learn to read core samples and check AI strata readings against what the core shows. Lead bit changes and crew training on site, and hold a well control certificate before moving into a supervisor role.
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