Potters, Manufacturing
Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.
$46,170 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 28%
- 0%
- 72%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 7%. Today's estimate: 10%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 23 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 17% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 13% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| 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.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 11% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Design clay forms and molds, and decorations for forms.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 4.2 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | 23%Half by Mar 2027 | |
| Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 17 min4 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 17 min4 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min4 min to 13 min | Stays with people | |
| Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 8 min2 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Operate drying chambers to dry or finish molded ceramic ware.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain supplies of tools, equipment, and materials, and order additional supplies as needed.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | 96%Half by now | |
| Verify accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using calipers and templates.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic0% now, 0% by 2028
- Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers13% now, 25% by 2028
- Craft Artists13% now, 24% by 2028
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers0% now, 0% by 2028
- Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing5% now, 5% by 2028
- Etchers and Engravers21% now, 21% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.