Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.

Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 11 occupations and seen in 14 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Select materials or equipment for operations or projects. 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 14 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 6 (43%) 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 3 of these tasks, with a mean mapped-usage share of 0.004% 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.

• Examine blast areas to determine amounts and kinds of explosive charges needed and to ensure that safety laws are observed. · Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters · importance 4.9 · no direct exposure
• Select, calibrate, or operate equipment used in the non-destructive testing of products or materials. · Non-Destructive Testing Specialists · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus. · Firefighters · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Use handtools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, pressure gauges, or precision instruments, as well as power tools, such as pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding equipment, or jacks and hoists. · Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists · importance 4.5 · no direct exposure
• Design or select equipment for use in wastewater processing to ensure compliance with government standards. · Water/Wastewater Engineers · importance 4.0 · exposure with tools
• Select locations and plan underground or surface mining operations, specifying processes, labor usage, and equipment that will result in safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction of minerals and ores. · Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers · importance 4.0 · exposure with tools
• Select aerial photographic and remote sensing techniques and plotting equipment needed to meet required standards of accuracy. · Cartographers and Photogrammetrists · importance 3.7 · exposure with tools
• Research, select, or apply sensors, communication technologies, or control devices for motion control, position sensing, pressure sensing, or electronic communication. · Mechatronics Engineers · importance 3.7 · exposure with tools
• Select electronics equipment, components, or systems to meet functional specifications. · Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Select or devise materials-handling methods and equipment to transport ore, waste materials, and mineral products efficiently and economically. · Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers · importance 3.6 · exposure with tools
• Select or install combined heat units, power units, cogeneration equipment, or trigeneration equipment that reduces energy use or pollution. · Mechanical Engineers · importance 3.5 · no direct exposure
• Select drill size to drill test head, according to test design and specifications, and submit guide layout to designated department. · Electrical and Electronics Drafters · importance 3.2 · no direct exposure
• Identify, procure, or develop test equipment, instrumentation, or facilities for characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications. · Microsystems Engineers · importance 3.1 · no direct exposure
• Select, purchase, set up, operate, or troubleshoot state-of-the-art laser cutting equipment. · Photonics Engineers · importance 2.1 · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
• Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
• Firefighters
• Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
• Water/Wastewater Engineers
• Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
• Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
• Mechatronics Engineers
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Mechanical Engineers
• Electrical and Electronics Drafters

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-select-tools-equipment-or-technologies-for-use-in-operations-or-projects,
  title  = {Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.},
  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/select-tools-equipment-or-technologies-for-use-in-operations-or-projects}
}