Will AI replace Roustabouts, Oil and Gas?
AI can do 0% of the work Roustabouts, Oil and Gas do at least twice as fast. None of their 13 tasks show real AI use yet. Robots can technically handle 10 physical tasks. 3 still need a person.
AI is already doing this0 · 0% of time
People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.
- Real AI use has not reached any of this job's tasks yet.
AI could do this next0 · 0% of time
AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.
- No other tasks in this job can be sped up by AI today.
Robots can technically do this10 · 69% of time
Physical tasks that today's robots can perform in at least some settings. Robots are cost competitive for very few tasks so far, so this change moves slower.
- Unscrew or tighten pipes, casing, tubing, and pump rods, using hand and power wrenches and tongs.Robots: purpose built settings16% of time
- Move pipes to and from trucks, using truck winches and motorized lifts, or by hand.Robots: purpose built settings9% of time
- Lay gas and oil pipelines.Robots: purpose built settings9% of time
- Bolt together pump and engine parts.Robots: purpose built settings8% of time
- Supply equipment to rig floors as requested and provide assistance to roughnecks.Robots: purpose built settings7% of time
- Dig holes, set forms, and mix and pour concrete into forms to make foundations for wood or steel derricks.Robots: purpose built settings6% of time
- Dig drainage ditches around wells and storage tanks.Robots: structured workplaces3% of time
- Guide cranes to move loads about decks.Robots: purpose built settings3% of time
- Clean trucks used in the fields.Robots: purpose built settings3% of time
- Cut down and remove trees and brush to clear drill sites, to reduce fire hazards, and to make way for roads to sites.Robots: structured workplaces2% of time
Still needs a person3 · 31% of time
No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.
- Dismantle and repair oil field machinery, boilers, and steam engine parts, using hand tools and power tools.15% of time
- Walk flow lines to locate leaks, using electronic detectors and by making visual inspections, and repair the leaks.12% of time
- Clean up spilled oil by bailing it into barrels.5% of time
Your week is not the average
Describe what you actually do and get a personal report: your own tasks, what AI can already do, what stays yours and a 90 day plan.
What this means
Little of this work suits AI. The bigger change here is robots: today's robots can technically do 69% of the working time, though they are rarely cheap enough to replace people yet.
What to do next
- Keep an eye on the 10 physical tasks robots can technically do. Cost keeps most robots out of work today, so this shift is slower.
- Build on the 3 tasks that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
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