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AI Job Risk

Occupation baseline · Research consensus

Will AI replace Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers?

Lower risk

Baseline AI displacement risk for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, aggregated from 5 research sources.

What this score means

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers is among the least exposed roles in Manufacturing. Most of what the job involves still sits outside what current AI can do, even as the tools around it keep changing. At 16 out of 100 it scores 3 points below the Manufacturing average of 19. Across the 5 sources behind this baseline, individual estimates run from 5 to 43, 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 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, most central first, showing 12 of 30.

  • 01Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.
  • 02Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.
  • 03Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.
  • 04Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.
  • 05Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.
  • 06Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.
  • 07Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.
  • 08Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.
  • 09Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.
  • 10Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.
  • 11Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.
  • 12Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.

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 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers for AI and automation exposure. More recent, higher confidence studies carry more weight in the final number.

Common questions

How likely is AI to replace Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers?
Published research puts Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers at 16 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 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers?
Only partly. Individual estimates for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers run from 5 to 43 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 manufacturing roles face similar AI exposure?
The closest published manufacturing roles to Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers by score are Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters (16/100), Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders (16/100), and Etchers and Engravers (16/100). Each has its own page with the research behind its number.

Also covers

Acetylene Burner · Acetylene Cutter · Acetylene Operator · Acetylene Torch Burner · Acetylene Torch Operator · Acetylene Torch Solderer · Aluminum Welder · Arc Cutter and related titles

Estimated displacement window

The dated estimate for this role is included in the full personalised report.

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