Operate communications equipment or systems.

Operate communications equipment or systems. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 12 occupations and seen in 19 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Operate communications equipment or systems. in Controlling Machines and Processes .

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 19 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 15 (79%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

The Anthropic Economic Index observes real AI use on 2 of these tasks, with a mean mapped-usage share of 0.002% per task.

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.

• Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address. · Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service · importance 4.7 · direct LLM exposure
• Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations. · Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · importance 4.7 · direct LLM exposure
• Monitor various radio frequencies, such as those used by public works departments, school security, and civil defense, to stay apprised of developing situations. · Public Safety Telecommunicators · importance 4.7 · exposure with tools
• Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections. · Telephone Operators · importance 4.6 · direct LLM exposure
• Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls. · Telephone Operators · importance 4.5 · direct LLM exposure
• Oversee all communications within specifically assigned territories. · Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance · importance 4.5 · exposure with tools
• Scan status charts and computer screens, and contact emergency response field units to determine emergency units available for dispatch. · Public Safety Telecommunicators · importance 4.5 · exposure with tools
• Transmit and receive messages, using telephones or telephone switchboards. · Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks · importance 4.5 · direct LLM exposure
• Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls. · Telephone Operators · importance 4.5 · direct LLM exposure
• Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment. · Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service · importance 4.4 · direct LLM exposure
• Operate equipment, such as truck cab computers, CB radios, phones, or global positioning systems (GPS) equipment to exchange necessary information with bases, supervisors, or other drivers. · Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · importance 4.3 · direct LLM exposure
• Inspect, adjust, or control radio equipment or airport lights. · Air Traffic Controllers · importance 4.3 · no direct exposure
• Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed. · Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service · importance 4.2 · direct LLM exposure
• Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance. · Telephone Operators · importance 4.2 · direct LLM exposure
• Operate electronic mail systems and coordinate the flow of information, internally or with other organizations. · Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive · importance 4.0 · exposure with tools
• Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants. · Telephone Operators · importance 3.9 · no direct exposure
• Set up and operate short-wave radio or field telephone equipment to transmit and receive blast information. · Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters · importance 3.8 · direct LLM exposure
• Operate audio and video systems. · Flight Attendants · importance 3.7 · no direct exposure
• Monitor and operate communications systems, such as mobile radios. · Biomass Power Plant Managers · importance 3.3 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
• Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
• Public Safety Telecommunicators
• Telephone Operators
• Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance
• Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
• Air Traffic Controllers
• Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
• Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
• Flight Attendants
• Biomass Power Plant Managers

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
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

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

@misc{singulariki-operate-communications-equipment-or-systems,
  title  = {Operate communications equipment or systems.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/operate-communications-equipment-or-systems}
}