Petroleum pump, refinery, or gauge operator
Operates or controls oil refining units, and may handle pumping systems, test oil in storage tanks, or control oil flow into pipelines.
Will AI replace petroleum pump, refinery, or gauge operator jobs?
AI changes jobs more often than it replaces them. How much AI can help with this work: Low. More AI overlap than 16 in 100 jobs. AI touches a small part of this work. Most of the job happens with your hands, your body or in person. 4% of this job’s working time is already spent on tasks people bring to AI at work (Anthropic Economic Index). Based on Microsoft research on real AI use at work, matched to the tasks of each job in O*NET.
What AI already helps with
- Record operating data, instrument readings, and lab test results
- Plan product movement through pipelines to processing, storage, and shipping
- Monitor indicators, gauges, and meters to spot and report problems
What stays human
- Maintain and repair equipment, or report broken equipment to supervisors
- Operate control panels to regulate temperature, pressure, and product flow
- Start pumps and open valves to control oil flow in pipelines
10-year outlook · USA
Expected change in the number of these jobs by 2035: -1.9%. Typical pay: $96,710 a year. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. German figures differ, but the direction is usually similar.
Try Petroleum pump, refinery, or gauge operator for a day
MAYBE finds someone who does this work and sets up a real day with them. You see the job up close, including how AI shows up in it, and then we help you make sense of what you felt.