Will AI replace Tile and Stone Setters?

What this score means

Tile and Stone Setters 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 11 out of 100 it scores 3 points below the Construction & Trades average of 14. Across the 3 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 5 to 20, 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 Tile and Stone Setters, most central first, showing 12 of 25.

• 01Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
• 02Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
• 03Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.
• 04Determine and implement the best layout to achieve a desired pattern.
• 05Mix, apply, and spread plaster, concrete, mortar, cement, mastic, glue or other adhesives to form a bed for the tiles, using brush, trowel and screed.
• 06Study blueprints and examine surface to be covered to determine amount of material needed.
• 07Measure and mark surfaces to be tiled, following blueprints.
• 08Lay and set mosaic tiles to create decorative wall, mural, and floor designs.
• 09Apply mortar to tile back, position the tile, and press or tap with trowel handle to affix tile to base.
• 10Mix and apply mortar or cement to edges and ends of drain tiles to seal halves and joints.
• 11Apply a sealer to make grout stain- and water-resistant.
• 12Level concrete and allow to dry.

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 3 research sources that scored Tile and Stone Setters for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

• 01Anthropic Economic Index 2026 - AI Task Exposure · 2026
• 02GPTs are GPTs: Labor Market Impact Potential of LLMs · 2024
• 03AI Occupational Exposure to Language Modeling · 2023

Also covers

Acoustical Carpenter · Acoustical Installer · Acoustical Material Worker · Bathroom Fitter · Ceramic Tile Installer · Ceramic Tile Mechanic · Ceramic Tile Setter · Floor Tile Layer and related titles

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