# Will auto body technicians be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Auto body technicians score 13 of 100 for AI exposure. 89% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 4% today and speed up another 7%. - **4%** AI can do it - **7%** AI helps - **89%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 92% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 25 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 2 and leaves 22 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Review damage reports, prepare or review repair cost estimates, and plan work to be performed. AI can draft and check estimates and repair plans from damage reports. | 62% AI can do it | | Read specifications or confer with customers to determine the desired custom modifications for altering the appearance of vehicles. AI can draft custom design options from specs; customer talks stay human. | 40% AI helps | | Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take. AI can estimate job times and parts lists; supervisor still decides. | 35% AI helps | | Remove damaged panels, and identify the family and properties of the plastic used on a vehicle. Plastic identification can be aided by AI, but removal is physical. | 15% Needs a person | | Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling. Visual inspection is partly assisted, but test-driving needs a person. | 14% Needs a person | ## How auto body technicians compare All occupations (923) Installation, maintenance and repair (50) **Auto body technicians score 13**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 21 for installation, maintenance and repair. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $54,890 a year, May 2025 People employed 149,310 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +3.7% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Check AI-drafted repair estimates in collision damage estimation software - Run job time and parts checks in AutoZone ALLDATA - Set up frame alignment on hydraulic chain and clamp machines - Weld, fit and grind replacement panels to spec - Test-drive repaired vehicles for alignment and handling - Issue repair invoices in R\*KOM Invoice Writer ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Tire builders10 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/tire-builders/) - [Motorcycle mechanics12 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/motorcycle-mechanics/) - [Auto glass installers9 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/auto-glass-installers/) - [Metal fabricators11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/metal-fabricators/) - [Tire changers10 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/tire-changers/) ## Questions about auto body technicians and AI Will AI replace auto body technicians? Partly. About 1 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly reviewing damage reports and preparing repair cost estimates, plus following supervisor instructions on parts and job time. The physical repair work on panels, frames and paint stays with technicians because it needs hands and tools on the vehicle. Which auto body technician tasks is AI taking over? Damage report review and repair estimating carry the highest exposure, at 62, because AI can draft estimates and repair plans directly from the report. Reading customer specs to draft custom design options scores 40, since AI can produce the options while the customer conversation stays with the technician. Parts lists and job time estimates from supervisor instructions score 35. Which auto body technician tasks stay with people? Dent removal with dolly blocks and hammers scores 3, because it is manual work on metal that a person shapes by feel. Fitting and welding replacement panels scores 4, since the work happens on a vehicle that has to be held, cut and joined manually. Test-driving repaired vehicles to check alignment and handling scores 14, because a person has to feel the car on the road. How can auto body technicians stay valuable as AI spreads? Start by checking AI-drafted estimates in collision damage estimation software and AutoZone ALLDATA against the damage you see on the vehicle. Keep frame alignment, welding and panel fitting skills sharp, since those tasks score lowest for exposure. Learn to run repair invoices in R\*KOM Invoice Writer so you can explain the job to customers and insurers. ## Related jobs - [Auto mechanics21 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/auto-mechanics/) - [Diesel mechanics15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/diesel-mechanics/) - [Spray painting machine operators15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/spray-painting-machine-operators/) - [Industrial machinery mechanics31 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industrial-machinery-mechanics/) ## Next steps for auto body technicians - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.