Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.
U.S. Workers
34,750
Median Salary
$45,690
10-Year Growth
+6.2%
Annual Openings
5,500
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
20 of 20 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Mix and apply glazes, and load glazed pieces into kilns for firing.
AI: Fully automatable - Mixing glazes to specification, applying them (dipping/spraying/robotic brushing), and loading kilns are standard, automatable manufacturing processes today.
Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
AI: Fully automatable - Positioning balls of clay on wheels and starting motors/pump treadles are basic placement and control actions that can be fully automated with simple actuators and control systems.
Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.
AI: Fully automatable - Surface smoothing with scrapers and sponges is a repetitive, low-complexity physical task that can be reliably automated with existing robotic end-effectors and simple feedback.
Design clay forms and molds, and decorations for forms.
AI: Fully automatable - Generative design models plus CAD/CAM and CNC/3D-printing workflows can produce clay forms, molds, and decorative patterns end-to-end without requiring human-only creativity.
Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.
AI: Fully automatable - Separating pieces from wheels with wires is a simple, repeatable mechanical action that can be fully automated with dedicated tooling or robotic end-effectors.
Examine finished ware for defects and measure dimensions, using rule and thickness gauge.
AI: Fully automatable - Machine vision combined with metrology tools can detect surface defects and measure dimensions accurately, enabling full automation of inspection and gauging.
Operate drying chambers to dry or finish molded ceramic ware.
AI: Fully automatable - Control of drying chambers (temperature, humidity, timing) is routinely automated with PLCs, sensors, and AI-based process control and can include robotic loading/unloading.
Start machine units and conveyors and observe lights and gauges on panel board to verify operational efficiency.
AI: Fully automatable - Starting machines and monitoring panel indicators can be fully automated via control systems, PLCs, and computer-vision/telemetry-based health monitoring and interlocks.
Maintain supplies of tools, equipment, and materials, and order additional supplies as needed.
AI: Fully automatable - Inventory tracking and automated reordering are well within current AI/ERP capabilities, allowing full automation of supply maintenance and procurement workflows.
Adjust pressures, temperatures, and trimming tool settings as required.
AI: Fully automatable - Adjusting pressures, temperatures, and tool settings is a closed-loop control problem that modern automation and AI systems can manage using sensors and feedback models.
Operate pug mills to blend and extrude clay.
AI: Fully automatable - Pug mill operation (blend and extrude) is largely mechanized and can be controlled and monitored automatically with dosing, motor controls, and process sensors.
Verify accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using calipers and templates.
AI: Fully automatable - Dimensional verification using calipers and templates can be replaced by machine-vision metrology and automated measurement systems that provide precise, repeatable checks.
Operate jigger machines to form ceramic ware, such as bowls, cups, plates, and saucers.
AI: Fully automatable - Jigger machine operation is a repeatable machining/forming process that can be fully automated or CNC-controlled with robotic part handling.
Press thumbs into centers of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes.
AI: Partial - Throwing and shaping clay by hand relies on continuous tactile feedback and fine motor control that current AI/robotics can only partially replicate for limited shapes.
Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.
AI: Partial - Adjusting wheel speed 'by feel' involves sensory judgment, but sensor-based feedback control can partially automate this adjustment though not fully replicate expert tactile nuance.
Raise and shape clay into wares such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
AI: Partial - Robotic systems and AI can reproduce basic wheel-throwing motions and simple forms, but fine tactile control and nuanced hand shaping/artistry remain only partially automated as of 2025.
Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.
AI: Partial - AI can automate listings, pricing, outreach, and customer relationship management, but fully replacing human relationship-building, negotiation, and curatorial judgment is not yet reliable.
Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.
AI: Partial - Robotic pick-and-place with soft grippers can transfer wet pieces, but variability in fragility, stickiness, and subtle handling needs mean performance is only partially robust in practice.
Perform test-fires of pottery to determine how to achieve specific colors and textures.
AI: Partial - AI can control kilns, run systematic test-fires, and analyze sensor/colorimetry data, but translating experimental outcomes into nuanced artistic decisions about color and texture is only partially automatable.
Teach pottery classes.
AI: Partial - AI can deliver instruction, demonstrations, and feedback remotely or assist an instructor, but full replacement of hands‑on, adaptive, social teaching in-person remains limited.