Will AI replace Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?
AI reaches some of this job’s work, but most of it stays with people.
22/100
Moderate exposure
More exposed to AI than 38% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 0% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 45% of the work
What the job involves
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Within reach(12)
- 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.
- Confer with flight dispatchers and weather forecasters to keep abreast of flight conditions.
- Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights.
and 7 more
Out of reach(12)
- Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.
- Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.
- Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.
- Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.
- Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.
and 7 more
Also called
First Officer (FO) · FO · Airline Captain · Airline Pilot · Pilot · Commercial Airline Pilot · Aircraft Pilot · Airline Transport Pilot
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics