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The roughneck is slowly disappearing from the oilfield as AI and automation take over

The roughneck is slowly disappearing from the oilfield as AI and automation take over
business9/13/2025

Many thousands of energy jobs are shed amid lower oil prices, efficiency gains, consolidation, and the advent of autonomous AI drilling and fracking operations.

Not these days. The coverall-adorned roughnecks of yesteryear today are now much fewer and more likely to sit in data vans monitoring the computer screens instead of constantly configuring all the pipes and tools manually. “The days of the mud-soaked... [7935 chars]