# Will transportation security screeners be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Transportation security screeners score 26 of 100 for AI exposure. 58% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 4% today and speed up another 38%. - **4%** AI can do it - **38%** AI helps - **58%** 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 1 of them today, speeds up 10 and leaves 15 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment. Alarm details are logged from machine data, routine digital recording. | 60% AI can do it | | View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems. Computer vision already flags bag image problems, human confirms alerts. | 50% AI helps | | Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation. AI flags threat items on scanner images, but screener still judges. | 45% AI helps | | Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries. Chatbots and apps can answer routine questions, in person directions remain. | 40% AI helps | | Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through. Alarm data can guide the search decision, but person decides. | 35% AI helps | ## How transportation security screeners compare All occupations (923) Protective service (26) **Transportation security screeners 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 31 for protective service. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $66,770 a year, May 2025 People employed 50,290 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs \-4.2% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Run X-ray image review on carry-on bags in the screening checkpoint - Resolve alarm alerts from walk-through metal detectors and hand wands - Hold a TSA screener certification and pass recurrent image recognition tests - Log alarm incidents and breach reports in Microsoft Word and Excel - Lead physical pat-down and hand-bag searches on flagged passengers and bags - Notify supervisors through Slack and email during security breaches ## Safer roles nearby A related occupation with a lower score. - [Crossing guards24 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/crossing-guards/) ## Questions about transportation security screeners and AI Will AI replace transportation security screeners? Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours of a transportation security screener's day go to tasks AI can already do, mostly recording alarm details and reviewing bag images on remote screening equipment. Pat-downs, hand bag searches, and decisions on flagged passengers stay with people because they need a person on site. Which transportation security screener tasks is AI taking over? Logging alarm data is the most exposed task, with an exposure score of 60, because AI can record alarm details straight from machine output. Computer vision also flags problems in checked bag and cargo images, with an exposure score of 50, so the screener mainly confirms those alerts and decides what happens next. Which transportation security screener tasks stay human? Pat-down and hand-wand searches stay human with an exposure score of 2, because they need physical presence and touch. Hand searches of suspect bags, with an exposure score of 5, and following people who breach security until police arrive, with an exposure score of 3, also depend on a person on site. How can transportation security screeners stay valuable? Focus on hands-on work that needs a person on site, such as pat-downs and hand bag searches, and hold the TSA screener certification current. Learn to review AI alerts on X-ray images closely, since you make the final call on each flagged bag. Keep clear written breach reports in Microsoft Word and Outlook for supervisors. ## Related jobs - [Security guards26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/security-guards/) - [Flight attendants30 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/flight-attendants/) - [Security supervisors35 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/security-supervisors/) - [Reservation agents60 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/reservation-agents/) ## Next steps for transportation security screeners - ### 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.