Transportation Security Screeners

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.5). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Working with AI in this job

How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.

What people delegate to AI

The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.

Where a human is still needed

Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.

What people most often hand AI here

Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.

• Help me provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries.

  From: Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries. · 0.5% of measured AI use · directive

Tasks

All 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation. Core · importance 4.9
• Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons. Core · importance 4.8
• View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems. Supplemental · importance 4.7
• Check passengers' tickets to ensure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling, such as providing photo identification. Core · importance 4.7
• Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems. Core · importance 4.7
• Perform pat-down or hand-held wand searches of passengers who have triggered machine alarms, who are unable to pass through metal detectors, or who have been randomly identified for such searches. Core · importance 4.7
• Notify supervisors or other appropriate personnel when security breaches occur. Core · importance 4.6
• Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment. Core · importance 4.6
• Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through. Core · importance 4.6
• Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection. Supplemental · importance 4.6
• Follow those who breach security until police or other security personnel arrive to apprehend them. Core · importance 4.6
• Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives. Core · importance 4.5
• Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering. Core · importance 4.4
• Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects prior to walking through metal detectors. Core · importance 4.4
• Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure. Core · importance 4.3
• Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas. Core · importance 4.2
• Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items. Core · importance 4.2
• Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios. Core · importance 4.2
• Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment. Core · importance 4.2
• Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints. Core · importance 4.0
• Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists. Core · importance 4.0
• Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal. Core · importance 3.9
• Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to ensure order and efficiency. Core · importance 3.8
• Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items. Core · importance 3.6
• Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries. Core · importance 3.4
• Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete. Core · importance 3.4

Work activities

• Communicate safety or hazard information to others.
• Examine personal documentation to ensure that it is valid.
• Block physical access to restricted areas.
• Confiscate prohibited or dangerous items.
• Communicate situation details to appropriate personnel.
• Request emergency personnel.
• Determine operational procedures.
• Provide information to the general public.
• Inform the public about policies, services or procedures.
• Inspect cargo to identify potential hazards.
• Locate suspicious objects or vehicles.
• Monitor access or flow of people to prevent problems.
• Search individuals for illegal or dangerous items.
• Record information about suspicious objects.
• Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
• Prevent unauthorized individuals from entering restricted areas.
• Monitor activities of individuals to ensure safety or compliance with rules.
• Patrol properties to maintain safety.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Abilities

Knowledge

Essential skills

Transferable skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• English Language Common Skill
• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft Outlook Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Linux Specialized Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill
• Email Software Specialized Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Education

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Typical entry-level education

High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Preparation level

SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Work styles

Interest areas

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Public Service & Safety career cluster.

• Security Guards · 33-9032.00 Compare →
• Transit and Railroad Police · 33-3052.00 Compare →
• Flight Attendants · 53-2031.00 Compare →
• Baggage Porters and Bellhops · 39-6011.00 Compare →
• Airfield Operations Specialists · 53-2022.00 Compare →
• First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers · 33-1091.00 Compare →
• Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks · 43-4181.00 Compare →
• Customs and Border Protection Officers · 33-3051.04 Compare →
• Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors · 53-1041.00 Compare →
• Compliance Officers · 13-1041.00 Compare →
• Security Managers · 11-3013.01 Compare →
• Passenger Attendants · 53-6061.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Transportation Security Screeners — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

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
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
• AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
• ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
• IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
• Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic

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

@misc{singulariki-role-33-9093-00,
  title  = {Transportation Security Screeners},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-33-9093-00}
}