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The AI Resilience Report helps you understand how AI is likely to impact your current or future career. Drawing on data from over 1,500 occupations, it provides a clear snapshot to support informed career decisions.
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The AI Resilience Report is a project from CareerVillage®, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Mostly Resilient
Last Update: 5/19/2026
Your role’s AI Resilience Score is
56.7%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
High
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Med
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Low
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
Limited data sources are available, or existing sources show notable disagreement on the outlook for this occupation.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forCooks, All Other
Cooks, All Other are somewhat more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 4 sources.
Cooking is holding up well against AI because so much of what makes a great cook — creativity, intuition, plating with care, and connecting with people — is genuinely hard for machines to replicate. While robots are starting to handle repetitive tasks like frying and slicing in some chain restaurants, they're mostly *adding to* the kitchen rather than taking over, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics actually projects cook jobs to grow faster than average through 2034.
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View analysisChat with CoachLatest newsMore career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreThis role is mostly resilient
Cooking is holding up well against AI because so much of what makes a great cook — creativity, intuition, plating with care, and connecting with people — is genuinely hard for machines to replicate. While robots are starting to handle repetitive tasks like frying and slicing in some chain restaurants, they're mostly *adding to* the kitchen rather than taking over, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics actually projects cook jobs to grow faster than average through 2034.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Cooks, All Other
Updated Quarterly • Last Update: 5/14/2026
How is AI changing Cooks, All Other jobs?
If you've ever pictured a robot flipping burgers next to a human cook, that future is already here in some kitchens — but it's still pretty limited. Miso Robotics' Flippy robot, an AI-powered arm, already works alongside short-order cooks at chains like White Castle and Jack in the Box, where it can fry and portion more than 40 menu items [1], and similar machines are showing up making fried rice, pasta, and salads. Salad chain Sweetgreen invested heavily in an automated "Infinite Kitchen," though it recently sold that business to Wonder for $186 million as it refocused on profitability [2].
On the software side, cooks are being augmented more than replaced: industry analysts predict 2026 will be the year of "invisible AI [3]" — systems that handle inventory forecasting, recipe suggestions, and menu planning behind the scenes. The American Culinary Federation even launched a Specialized Certificate in "AI for the Modern Chef" [4] to help cooks use these tools. Chefs interviewed by Restaurant Business say robots are best for "repetitive and precise [5]" tasks like slicing and timing, freeing humans for creativity and hospitality.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Cooks, All Other?
Adoption is happening, but slowly. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics still projects employment of cooks to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than average [6], suggesting machines aren't replacing people anytime soon. Why the slow rollout?
Restaurant kitchens are cramped and unpredictable, and an MIT-led study found that more than 75% of the time it is cheaper for companies to keep humans than to automate jobs with AI [1]. On the other hand, labor shortages dominate restaurant concerns for 2026 [7], and operators see AI as relief. The good news for young cooks: human skills like creativity, intuition, plating, and hospitality remain hard to automate — and being curious about AI tools could make you more valuable, not less.
Sources
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More Career Info
Career: Cooks, All Other
They prepare and cook a wide variety of foods in different settings, ensuring meals are tasty and meet customer or client needs.
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Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$36,210
Jobs (2024)
24,000
Growth (2024-34)
+5.5%
Annual Openings
3,700
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
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