Determine types of equipment, tools, or materials needed for jobs.

Determine types of equipment, tools, or materials needed for jobs. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 8 occupations and seen in 10 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Determine resource needs of projects or operations. in Making Decisions and Solving Problems .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 10 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 8 (80%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Select appropriate tools, safety equipment, and parts, according to job requirements. · Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules. · Riggers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Inspect installation sites and study work orders, building plans, and installation manuals to determine materials requirements and installation procedures. · Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers · importance 4.1 · exposure with tools
• Determine whether emergency or auxiliary systems will be needed to keep properties heated or cooled in extreme weather conditions. · Geothermal Technicians · importance 3.9 · exposure with tools
• Designate cables available for use. · Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers · importance 3.9 · direct LLM exposure
• Identify equipment options, such as compressors, and make appropriate selections. · Geothermal Technicians · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Evaluate technical specifications to identify equipment or systems best suited for intended use and possible purchase, based on specifications, user needs, or technical requirements. · Medical Equipment Repairers · importance 3.5 · exposure with tools
• Determine feasibility of using standardized equipment or develop specifications for equipment required to perform additional functions. · Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment · importance 3.5 · exposure with tools
• Evaluate remote sensing project requirements to determine the types of equipment or computer software necessary to meet project requirements, such as specific image types or output resolutions. · Remote Sensing Technicians · importance 3.4 · exposure with tools
• Determine the type of geothermal loop system most suitable to a specific property and its heating and cooling needs. · Geothermal Technicians · importance 3.4 · exposure with tools

Occupations that perform this

• Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers
• Riggers
• Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers
• Geothermal Technicians
• Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers
• Medical Equipment Repairers
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
• Remote Sensing Technicians

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-determine-types-of-equipment-tools-or-materials-needed-for-jobs,
  title  = {Determine types of equipment, tools, or materials needed for jobs.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/determine-types-of-equipment-tools-or-materials-needed-for-jobs}
}