How likely is AI to replace Locksmiths and Safe Repairers?

Published research puts Locksmiths and Safe Repairers at 8 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairers?

Broadly, yes. Individual estimates for Locksmiths and Safe Repairers run from 5 to 14 out of 100 across the 5 sources behind this score, a fairly tight range. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

Which construction & trades roles face similar AI exposure?

The closest published construction & trades roles to Locksmiths and Safe Repairers by score are Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers (8/100), Helpers--Electricians (8/100), and Mechanical Door Repairers (8/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Occupation baseline · Research consensus

Will AI replace Locksmiths and Safe Repairers?

Lower risk

Baseline AI displacement risk for Locksmiths and Safe Repairers, aggregated from 5 research sources.

What this score means

Locksmiths and Safe Repairers 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 8 out of 100 it scores 5 points below the Construction & Trades average of 13. Across the 5 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 5 to 14, 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairers, most central first, showing 12 of 14.

01Cut new or duplicate keys, using impressions or code key machines.
02Insert new or repaired tumblers into locks to change combinations.
03Move picklocks in cylinders to open door locks without keys.
04Cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines.
05Open safe locks by drilling.
06Set up and maintain master key systems.
07Install door hardware, such as locks and closers.
08Keep records of company locks and keys.
09Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools.
10Repair and adjust safes, vault doors, and vault components, using hand tools, lathes, drill presses, and welding and acetylene cutting apparatus.
11Install alarm and electronic access systems.
12Install safes, vault doors, and deposit boxes according to blueprints, using equipment such as power drills, taps, dies, truck cranes, and dollies.

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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairers 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairers?: Published research puts Locksmiths and Safe Repairers at 8 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairers?: Broadly, yes. Individual estimates for Locksmiths and Safe Repairers run from 5 to 14 out of 100 across the 5 sources behind this score, a fairly tight range. More recent and higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.
Which construction & trades roles face similar AI exposure?: The closest published construction & trades roles to Locksmiths and Safe Repairers by score are Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers (8/100), Helpers--Electricians (8/100), and Mechanical Door Repairers (8/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Also covers

CML (Certified Master Locksmith) · CMS (Certified Master Safecracker) · Certified Professional Safe Technician (CPS) · Commercial Vault Associate · Forensic Locksmith · Key Maker · Key Technician (Key Tech) · Keysmith and related titles

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Informational guidance based on published research, not professional career or financial advice. Scores update as new research is ingested.