Will AI replace Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers?

What this score means

Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers is among the least exposed roles in Construction & Trades. Most of what the job involves still sits outside what current AI can do, even as the tools around it keep changing. At 12 out of 100 it sits close to the Construction & Trades average of 13. Across the 5 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 5 to 25, so the score is a weighted consensus rather than any single figure.

The number is a consensus estimate for the typical version of the role, built from published academic and industry research scored occupation by occupation. It is not a prediction about any individual. How scoring works

What this job actually involves

Exposure follows the work itself rather than the job title, so it is worth seeing what the role is made of. These are the tasks O*NET records for Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, most central first, showing 12 of 16.

• 01Install or replace machinery, equipment, and new or replacement parts and instruments, using hand or power tools.
• 02Examine and test machinery, equipment, components, and parts for defects to ensure proper functioning.
• 03Tend and observe equipment and machinery to verify efficient and safe operation.
• 04Adjust, connect, or disconnect wiring, piping, tubing, and other parts, using hand or power tools.
• 05Clean or lubricate vehicles, machinery, equipment, instruments, tools, work areas, and other objects, using hand tools, power tools, and cleaning equipment.
• 06Hold or supply tools, parts, equipment, and supplies for other workers.
• 07Diagnose electrical problems and install and rewire electrical components.
• 08Disassemble broken or defective equipment to facilitate repair and reassemble equipment when repairs are complete.
• 09Position vehicles, machinery, equipment, physical structures, and other objects for assembly or installation, using hand tools, power tools, and moving equipment.
• 10Transfer tools, parts, equipment, and supplies to and from work stations and other areas.
• 11Adjust, maintain, and repair tools, equipment, and machines, and assist more skilled workers with similar tasks.
• 12Order new parts to maintain inventory.

Task statements from O*NET by the National Center for O*NET Development, used under CC BY 4.0. The tasks are descriptive; the exposure score above is ours.

The research behind this score

This baseline aggregates 5 research sources that scored Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

• 01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026Anthropic
• 02Global Automation Atlas: Task Substitution Exposure by Occupation · 2026Garg, Crosta, Baier (2026), arXiv:2605.17086
• 03Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations · 2025Tomlinson, Jaffe et al., Microsoft Research (2025)
• 04GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin, Rock (Science, 2024)
• 05AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023Felten, Raj, Seamans (2023)

Common questions

How likely is AI to replace Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers?

Published research puts Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers at 12 out of 100 for AI displacement risk, in the lower risk band. The number is a weighted consensus of 5 research sources and describes the typical version of the role, not any individual.

Do researchers agree on the risk for Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers?

Only partly. Individual estimates for Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers run from 5 to 25 out of 100 across the 5 sources behind this score, so the single number smooths over real disagreement. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in it.

Which construction & trades roles face similar AI exposure?

The closest published construction & trades roles to Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers by score are Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (12/100), Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics (12/100), and Bicycle Repairers (12/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Also covers

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More construction & trades occupations

• Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians12/100
• Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics12/100
• Bicycle Repairers12/100
• Continuous Mining Machine Operators12/100
• Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles12/100
• Insulation Workers, Mechanical12/100
• Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers12/100
• Painters, Construction and Maintenance12/100