Will auto body technicians be replaced by AI?
Updated
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 |
| File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools. Sanding and grinding filled surfaces needs physical hand and tool work. | 10% Needs a person |
| Measure and mark vinyl material and cut material to size for roof installation, using rules, straightedges, and hand shears. Measuring and cutting vinyl is mostly manual, with light calculation help. | 9% Needs a person |
| Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint. Sanding and masking trim physically on the vehicle is manual work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Adjust or align headlights, wheels, and brake systems. Aligning headlights and wheels needs physical adjustment and machines. | 8% Needs a person |
| Remove upholstery, accessories, electrical window-and-seat-operating equipment, and trim to gain access to vehicle bodies and fenders. Removing trim and seats is physical disassembly on the vehicle. | 7% Needs a person |
Show the other 15 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Cut and tape plastic separating film to outside repair areas to avoid damaging surrounding surfaces during repair procedure and remove tape and wash surfaces after repairs are complete. Cutting and taping separating film is physical preparation work. | 6% Needs a person |
| Mix polyester resins and hardeners to be used in restoring damaged areas. Mixing resins is a small measured task, mostly hands-on. | 6% Needs a person |
| Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders. Spray painting and sanding require physical skill and presence. | 5% Needs a person |
| Fill small dents that cannot be worked out with plastic or solder. Filling dents with plastic or solder is hands-on work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Fit and secure windows, vinyl roofs, and metal trim to vehicle bodies, using caulking guns, adhesive brushes, and mallets. Fitting windows and trim with tools is physical installation work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Replace damaged glass on vehicles. Replacing glass is a hands-on physical installation task. | 5% Needs a person |
| Cut openings in vehicle bodies for the installation of customized windows, using templates and power shears or chisels. Cutting body openings with power shears is physical fabrication. | 5% Needs a person |
| Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools. Fitting and welding replacement parts is hands-on physical work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Chain or clamp frames and sections to alignment machines that use hydraulic pressure to align damaged components. Chaining and clamping frames to alignment machines is physical work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Remove damaged sections of vehicles using metal-cutting guns, air grinders and wrenches, and install replacement parts using wrenches or welding equipment. Cutting out and welding panels requires physical tools and presence. | 4% Needs a person |
| Apply heat to plastic panels, using hot-air welding guns or immersion in hot water, and press the softened panels back into shape by hand. Heating and reshaping plastic panels manually is physical work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Clean work areas, using air hoses, to remove damaged material and discarded fiberglass strips used in repair procedures. Air hose cleanup of work areas is physical housekeeping. | 4% Needs a person |
| Soak fiberglass matting in resin mixtures and apply layers of matting over repair areas to specified thicknesses. Laying fiberglass matting and resin is hands-on craft work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Position dolly blocks against surfaces of dented areas and beat opposite surfaces to remove dents, using hammers. Dolly and hammer dent work is manual and physical. | 3% Needs a person |
| Remove small pits and dimples in body metal, using pick hammers and punches. Pick hammer work on pits and dimples is manual labor. | 3% Needs a person |
How auto body technicians compare
All occupations (923)
Installation, maintenance and repair (50)
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.
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.
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