Will AI replace Chefs and Head Cooks?
AI reaches some of this job’s work, but most of it stays with people.
24/100
Moderate exposure
More exposed to AI than 41% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 4% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 35% of the work
What the job involves
Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Already happening(1)
- Record production or operational data on specified forms.
Within reach(7)
- Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
- Analyze recipes to assign prices to menu items, based on food, labor, and overhead costs.
- Determine how food should be presented and create decorative food displays.
- Meet with customers to discuss menus for special occasions, such as weddings, parties, or banquets.
- Arrange for equipment purchases or repairs.
and 2 more
Out of reach(13)
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
and 8 more
Also called
Sous Chef · Executive Chef (Ex Chef) · Ex Chef · Pastry Chef · Chef de Cuisine · Passenger Vessel Chef · Pastry Cook · Banquet Chef
Related jobs
- Food Service Managers41/100
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria11/100
- Cooks, Private Household28/100
- Bakers12/100
- Cooks, Restaurant8/100
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