Blacksmiths, hammersmiths and forging press workers
An AI agent can at least partly carry out 9.1% of the task time of blacksmiths, hammersmiths and forging press workers, and finish 0.0% alone. The barrier that holds most of the rest back is access to the systems the work runs on.
366th of 433 · interval 0.0–27.4
201st of 433 · interval 0.0–0.0
370th of 433 · interval 6.0–25.1
task statements rated by two models and weighted by importance and frequency. World employment: 2.8 million.
How the tasks rate
What stops the agent
Share of task weight flagged by each barrier; a task can carry several.
| Task statement (O*NET occupation) | Weight | Level | Sonnet · Haiku | Share | Human time | Barriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set up, operate, or tend presses and forging machines to perform hot or cold forging by flattening, straightening, bending, cutting, piercing, or other operations to taper, shape, or form metal.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 9.2% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 2.5 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Read work orders or blueprints to determine specified tolerances and sequences of operations for machine setup.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 9.1% | L2 | L2L2 | 62% | 22 min | Access to systems |
| Measure and inspect machined parts to ensure conformance to product specifications.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 8.9% | L1 | L1L2 | 22% | 12 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Position and move metal wires or workpieces through a series of dies that compress and shape stock to form die impressions.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 8.8% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 18 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Start machines to produce sample workpieces, and observe operations to detect machine malfunctions and to verify that machine setups conform to specifications.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 8.2% | L0 | L0L1 | 12% | 38 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Turn handles or knobs to set pressures and depths of ram strokes and to synchronize machine operations.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 8.0% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 12 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Install, adjust, and remove dies, synchronizing cams, forging hammers, and stop guides, using overhead cranes or other hoisting devices, and hand tools.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 7.9% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 1.5 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Trim and compress finished forgings to specified tolerances.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 7.9% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 18 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Confer with other workers about machine setups and operational specifications.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 7.2% | L1 | L1L1 | 22% | 18 min | Physical presence, Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Remove dies from machines when production runs are finished.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 7.2% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 52 min | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Select, align, and bolt positioning fixtures, stops, and specified dies to rams and anvils, forging rolls, or presses and hammers.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · supplemental task | 6.5% | L0 | L0L1 | 9% | 1.0 h | Physical presence, Accountability, Access to systems |
| Repair, maintain, and replace parts on dies.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 5.9% | L0 | L0L1 | 12% | 1.8 h | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Sharpen cutting tools and drill bits, using bench grinders.Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic · supplemental task | 5.2% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 10 min | Physical presence |
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.
Exposure is not delegation
| Measure | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| ADI (this index) | 9.1% | 16 |
| Eloundou et al. (2024), GPT exposure β | 0.045 | 8 |
| Felten et al. (2021), AI occupational exposure | -0.852 | 28 |
| Webb (2020), AI patent exposure | 81.625 | 74 |
| Eisfeldt et al. (2026), generative AI exposure | 0.016 | 13 |
| 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.
Neighbouring occupations
| Occupation | ADI | % |
|---|---|---|
| Toolmakers and related workers 7222 | 29.6 | |
| Bicycle and related repairers 7234 | 28.2 | |
| Aircraft engine mechanics and repairers 7232 | 21.4 | |
| Metal working machine tool setters and operators 7223 | 17.4 | |
| Sheet-metal workers 7213 | 14.8 | |
| Agricultural and industrial machinery mechanics and repairers 7233 | 14.7 | |
| Structural-metal preparers and erectors 7214 | 10.5 | |
| Welders and flamecutters 7212 | 9.9 | |
| Riggers and cable splicers 7215 | 7.9 | |
| Motor vehicle mechanics and repairers 7231 | 7.1 | |
| Metal polishers, wheel grinders and tool sharpeners 7224 | 4.1 | |
| Metal moulders and coremakers 7211 | 2.3 |
Dashed line: blacksmiths, hammersmiths and forging press workers (9.1%).
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: Blacksmiths, hammersmiths and forging press workers (ISCO-08 7221), https://balamlabs.org/adi/occupations/7221
@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: Blacksmiths, hammersmiths and forging press workers (ISCO-08 7221)}
}The same record as static JSON, with its citation: /adi/v2026.1/isco/7221.json.