Will AI replace Industrial Machinery Mechanics?
AI reaches little of this job’s work.
13/100
Low exposure
More exposed to AI than 25% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 5% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 20% of the work
What the job involves
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Already happening(1)
- Enter codes and instructions to program computer-controlled machinery.
Within reach(3)
- Record repairs and maintenance performed.
- Record parts or materials used and order or requisition new parts or materials, as necessary.
- Assign schedules to work crews.
Out of reach(12)
- Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment.
- Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment.
- Examine parts for defects, such as breakage or excessive wear.
- Clean, lubricate, or adjust parts, equipment, or machinery.
- Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs.
and 7 more
Also called
Industrial Mechanic · Maintenance Mechanic · Loom Fixer · Machine Adjuster · Machine Mechanic · Overhauler · Sewing Machine Mechanic · Anode Rebuilder
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics