Job Check
Millwrights
Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.
10 main tasks · most important first
Your main tasks and AI
Importance- 01Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.Mostly human for now
- 02Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs.Mostly human for now
- 03Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts.Mostly human for now
- 04Signal crane operator to lower basic assembly units to bedplate, and align unit to centerline.Mostly human for now
- 05Conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment.Mostly human for now
- 06Assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools.Mostly human for now
- 07Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools.Mostly human for now
- 08Move machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks.Mostly human for now
- 09Level bedplate and establish centerline, using straightedge, levels, and transit.Mostly human for now
- 10Dismantle machines, using hammers, wrenches, crowbars, and other hand tools.Mostly human for now
Tasks from O*NET® 31.0 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0, changed by us), most important first. “Already use” comes from Anthropic’s data on real work chats with Claude; “could speed up” from task ratings made with GPT-4 in 2023.
Four studies, side by side
None is a forecast of job lossToo little dataNot enough work use was seen to measure. This does not mean the job is safe from AI.Anthropic, 2026
2%of this job’s tasks an AI model could do in half the time, counting tasks that need extra tools as half (rated in 2023).Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, 2023
Above 15% of jobsin how often and how well AI helped with this job’s work in Microsoft Copilot chats (2024 data).Microsoft Research (Tomlinson et al.), 2025
Above 71% of jobsin how much of this job’s physical work robots have been shown to do, from factories to homes (2026).Anthropic, 2026
Your human edge
The main tasks with no real AI use seen and no big speed-up expected. This is where your skill counts most today.
- Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts.
- Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs.
- Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts.