ISCO-08 3133
Chemical processing plant controllers
29.6%
ADI · 253rd of 433 · 95% interval 9.9–51.8
An AI agent can at least partly carry out 29.6% of the task time of chemical processing plant controllers, and finish 5.4% alone. The barrier that holds most of the rest back is access to the systems the work runs on.
ADI · partial or full29.6%
253rd of 433 · interval 9.9–51.8
ADI3 · full delegation5.4%
69th of 433 · interval 0.0–18.0
ADIs · share of time32.5%
234th of 433 · interval 24.6–41.9
Evidence19
task statements rated by two models and weighted by importance and frequency. World employment: 0.2 million.
Task weight by level
How the tasks rate
L0No meaningful role · 14.2%L1Augmentation · 56.2%L2Partial delegation · 24.3%L3Full delegation · 5.4%
Barriers
What stops the agent
Share of task weight flagged by each barrier; a task can carry several.
19 task statements, heaviest first
| Task statement (O*NET occupation) | Weight | Level | Sonnet · Haiku | Share | Human time | Barriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor recording instruments, flowmeters, panel lights, or other indicators and listen for warning signals to verify conformity of process conditions.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 7.3% | L2 | L2L2 | 50% | 4.2 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Control or operate chemical processes or systems of machines, using panelboards, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 7.3% | L1 | L1L2 | 30% | 4.5 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Move control settings to make necessary adjustments on equipment units affecting speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 6.6% | L1 | L1L2 | 35% | 15 min | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Record operating data, such as process conditions, test results, or instrument readings.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 6.4% | L2 | L2L2 | 55% | 25 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Inspect operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or driers to ensure that all are functioning and to maintain maximum efficiency.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 6.3% | L1 | L1L2 | 28% | 1.0 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Draw samples of products and conduct quality control tests to monitor processing and to ensure that standards are met.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 6.3% | L1 | L1L2 | 25% | 30 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Turn valves to regulate flow of products or byproducts through agitator tanks, storage drums, or neutralizer tanks.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 6.2% | L0 | L1L0 | 10% | 15 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Patrol work areas to ensure that solutions in tanks or troughs are not in danger of overflowing.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 6.1% | L1 | L1L1 | 20% | 30 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Interpret chemical reactions visible through sight glasses or on television monitors and review laboratory test reports for process adjustments.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 6.0% | L2 | L2L2 | 45% | 30 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Gauge tank levels, using calibrated rods.Chemical Plant and System Operators · supplemental task | 5.9% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 15 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Calculate material requirements or yields according to formulas.Chemical Plant and System Operators · supplemental task | 5.4% | L3 | L3L3 | 85% | 20 min | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Start pumps to wash and rinse reactor vessels, to exhaust gases or vapors, to regulate the flow of oil, steam, air, or perfume to towers, or to add products to converter or blending vessels.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 5.3% | L1 | L1L2 | 28% | 18 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Direct workers engaged in operating machinery that regulates the flow of materials and products.Chemical Plant and System Operators · supplemental task | 4.8% | L1 | L1L2 | 25% | 30 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Confer with technical and supervisory personnel to report or resolve conditions affecting safety, efficiency, or product quality.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 4.6% | L1 | L1L2 | 32% | 25 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Notify maintenance, stationary engineering, or other auxiliary personnel to correct equipment malfunctions or to adjust power, steam, water, or air supplies.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 4.5% | L2 | L2L2 | 55% | 8 min | Access to systems |
Show the other 4 tasks
| Task statement (O*NET occupation) | Weight | Level | Sonnet · Haiku | Share | Human time | Barriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulate or shut down equipment during emergency situations, as directed by supervisory personnel.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 3.0% | L1 | L1L1 | 12% | 22 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Supervise the cleaning of towers, strainers, or spray tips.Chemical Plant and System Operators · supplemental task | 3.0% | L1 | L1L2 | 22% | 3.0 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Repair or replace damaged equipment.Chemical Plant and System Operators | 2.9% | L1 | L1L1 | 15% | 2.5 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Defrost frozen valves, using steam hoses.Chemical Plant and System Operators · supplemental task | 2.1% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 38 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
Level: consensus of the two models (the lower level when they disagree). Share: part of the task’s working time an agent could take over. Human time: minutes a competent person needs for one instance, as estimated by the models.
Against other measures
Exposure is not delegation
| Measure | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| ADI (this index) | 29.6% | 42 |
| Eloundou et al. (2024), GPT exposure β | 0.17 | 30 |
| Felten et al. (2021), AI occupational exposure | -0.383 | 43 |
| Webb (2020), AI patent exposure | 92 | 91 |
| Eisfeldt et al. (2026), generative AI exposure | 0.158 | 48 |
| Anthropic Economic Index, observed use | 0 | 16 |
Earlier indices measure whether AI can touch a task; ADI measures how much of it an agent can carry out from a goal. – : the source does not cover this occupation.
Same sub-major group (31)
Neighbouring occupations
| Occupation | ADI | % |
|---|---|---|
| Process control technicians not elsewhere classified 3139 | 91.1 | |
| Draughtspersons 3118 | 82.3 | |
| Mining supervisors 3121 | 71.6 | |
| Construction supervisors 3123 | 71.6 | |
| Chemical and physical science technicians 3111 | 69.7 | |
| Electronics engineering technicians 3114 | 60.2 | |
| Civil engineering technicians 3112 | 57.6 | |
| Manufacturing supervisors 3122 | 56.5 | |
| Air traffic safety electronics technicians 3155 | 54.7 | |
| Mining and metallurgical technicians 3117 | 51.5 | |
| Physical and engineering science technicians not elsewhere classified 3119 | 51.1 | |
| Mechanical engineering technicians 3115 | 50.0 |
Dashed line: chemical processing plant controllers (29.6%).
Cite this record
Text
Espinal Maya, Cristian, and Santiago Jiménez Londoño. 2026. ADI v2026.1: Agent Delegability Index data, code and MCP server. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23552918. Record: Chemical processing plant controllers (ISCO-08 3133), https://balamlabs.org/adi/occupations/3133
BibTeX
@misc{espinal2026adidata,
title = {{ADI} v2026.1: Agent Delegability Index data, code and {MCP} server},
author = {Espinal Maya, Cristian and Jim{\'e}nez Londo{\~n}o, Santiago},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Zenodo},
version = {v2026.1},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23552918},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23552918},
note = {Record: Chemical processing plant controllers (ISCO-08 3133)}
}Machine-readable
The same record as static JSON, with its citation: /adi/v2026.1/isco/3133.json.