Shoemaking and related machine operators
An AI agent can at least partly carry out 0.0% of the task time of shoemaking and related machine operators, and finish 0.0% alone. Most of the rest requires physical presence.
418th of 433 · interval 0.0–0.0
201st of 433 · interval 0.0–0.0
421st of 433 · interval 2.7–13.4
task statements rated by two models and weighted by importance and frequency. World employment: 0.7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 6.2% | L0 | L0L0 | 2% | 2 min | Physical presence |
| Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 6.0% | L0 | L0L0 | 3% | 4.1 h | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Inspect finished products to ensure that shoes have been completed according to specifications.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 6.0% | L1 | L1L1 | 18% | 4 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 5.9% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 5 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 5.8% | L0 | L0L0 | 1% | 2 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Cut excess thread or material from shoe parts, using scissors or knives.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 5.5% | L0 | L0L0 | 1% | 3 min | Physical presence |
| Collect shoe parts from conveyer belts or racks and place them in machinery such as ovens or on molds for dressing, returning them to conveyers or racks to send them to the next work station.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · supplemental task | 5.5% | L0 | L0L0 | 1% | 16 min | Physical presence |
| Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 5.4% | L1 | L1L2 | 50% | 10 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 5.3% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 8 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 5.3% | L0 | L0L0 | 2% | 4 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Fill shuttle spools with thread from a machine's bobbin winder by pressing a foot treadle.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · supplemental task | 5.2% | L0 | L0L0 | 1% | 4 min | Physical presence |
| Position dies on material in a manner that will obtain the maximum number of parts from each portion of material.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · supplemental task | 5.1% | L1 | L1L2 | 25% | 6 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 5.1% | L0 | L0L0 | 4% | 25 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Test machinery to ensure proper functioning before beginning production.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 4.9% | L0 | L0L1 | 12% | 22 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Staple sides of shoes, pressing a foot treadle to position and hold each shoe under the feeder of the machine.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · supplemental task | 4.9% | L0 | L0L0 | 1% | 1 min | Physical presence |
Show the other 4 tasks
| Task statement (O*NET occupation) | Weight | Level | Sonnet · Haiku | Share | Human time | Barriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turn knobs to adjust stitch length and thread tension.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders | 4.9% | L0 | L0L0 | 2% | 5 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Turn setscrews on needle bars, and position required numbers of needles in stitching machines.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · supplemental task | 4.5% | L0 | L0L1 | 4% | 15 min | Physical presence |
| Turn screws to regulate size of staples.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · supplemental task | 4.4% | L0 | L0L0 | 0% | 4 min | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Hammer loose staples for proper attachment.Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders · supplemental task | 4.1% | L0 | L0L0 | 0% | 2 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) | 0.0% | 4 |
| Eloundou et al. (2024), GPT exposure β | 0.058 | 10 |
| Felten et al. (2021), AI occupational exposure | -1.03 | 20 |
| Webb (2020), AI patent exposure | 2 | 1 |
| Eisfeldt et al. (2026), generative AI exposure | 0 | 4 |
| 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
Dashed line: shoemaking and related machine operators (0.0%).
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: Shoemaking and related machine operators (ISCO-08 8156), https://balamlabs.org/adi/occupations/8156
@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: Shoemaking and related machine operators (ISCO-08 8156)}
}The same record as static JSON, with its citation: /adi/v2026.1/isco/8156.json.