Airport Security Screeners

How AI is changing airport security screeners work

1 of 24 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Green (little AI use yet) — 4%.

This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.

Tasks in this job and recorded AI use

• Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries (main task) — some recorded AI use
• Inspect carry-on items, using x-ray viewing equipment, to determine whether items contain objects that warrant further investigation (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Search carry-on or checked baggage by hand when it is suspected to contain prohibited items such as weapons (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Check passengers' tickets to make sure that they are valid, and to determine whether passengers have designations that require special handling (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Test baggage for any explosive materials, using equipment such as explosive detection machines or chemical swab systems (main task) — no recorded AI use
• 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 (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Notify supervisors or other appropriate staff when security breaches occur (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Send checked baggage through automated screening machines, and set bags aside for searching or rescreening as indicated by equipment (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Decide whether baggage that triggers alarms should be searched or should be allowed to pass through (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Follow those who breach security until police or other security staff arrive to apprehend them (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Inspect checked baggage for signs of tampering (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Ask passengers to remove shoes and divest themselves of metal objects before walking through metal detectors (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Close entry areas following security breaches or reopen areas after receiving notification that the airport is secure (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Challenge suspicious people, requesting their badges and asking what their business is in a particular areas (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Patrol work areas to detect any suspicious items (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Contact police directly in cases of urgent security issues, using phones or two-way radios (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Record information about any baggage that sets off alarms in monitoring equipment (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Watch for potentially dangerous persons whose pictures are posted at checkpoints (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Contact leads or supervisors to discuss objects of concern that are not on prohibited object lists (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Confiscate dangerous items and hazardous materials found in opened bags and turn them over to airlines for disposal (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Monitor passenger flow through screening checkpoints to make sure order and efficiency (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Inform passengers of how to mail prohibited items to themselves, or confiscate these items (main task) — no recorded AI use
• Direct passengers to areas where they can pick up their baggage after screening is complete (main task) — no recorded AI use
• View images of checked bags and cargo, using remote screening equipment, and alert baggage screeners or handlers to any possible problems — no recorded AI use
• Locate suspicious bags pictured in printouts sent from remote monitoring areas, and set these bags aside for inspection — no recorded AI use

Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).

Your first steps (guidance)

1. Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
2. Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Provide directions and respond to passenger inquiries”. Try the prompt for: “Inform other screeners when baggage should not be opened because it might contain explosives”.

Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.

Questions about AI and airport security screeners

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