# Will cabinetmakers be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Cabinetmakers score 21 of 100 for AI exposure. 70% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 3% today and speed up another 27%. - **3%** AI can do it - **27%** AI helps - **70%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 78% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 20 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 6 and leaves 13 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Estimate the amounts, types, or costs of needed materials. Material takeoffs and cost estimates are largely doable in software from drawings. | 70% AI can do it | | Program computers to operate machinery. AI can generate CNC programs; worker tests and verifies them. | 60% AI helps | | Design furniture, using computer-aided drawing programs. CAD work is digital; AI assists drafting and design variations. | 55% AI helps | | Establish the specifications of articles to be constructed or repaired, or plan the methods or operations for shaping or assembling parts, based on blueprints, drawings, diagrams, or oral or written instructions. AI can draft build sequences and specs from drawings; worker verifies. | 50% AI helps | | Draw up detailed specifications and discuss projects with customers. AI can draft specs and summaries; client conversations need the worker. | 45% AI helps | ## How cabinetmakers compare All occupations (923) Production (107) **Cabinetmakers score 21**, 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 22 for production. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $46,680 a year, May 2025 People employed 77,170 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs \-2.9% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Verify AI-generated CNC programs on the machine before cutting - Check material takeoffs in computer estimation software against stock - Set up and operate jointers, mortisers, and tenoners safely - Cut hand-tool joinery to a snug fit - Draft and revise cabinet drawings in Autodesk AutoCAD ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Furniture finishers17 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/furniture-finishers/) - [Woodworking machine operators16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/woodworking-machine-operators/) - [Carpenters18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/carpenters/) - [Upholsterers19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/upholsterers/) - [Metal fabricators11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/metal-fabricators/) ## Questions about cabinetmakers and AI Will AI replace cabinetmakers? Partly. About 2 in 10 of a cabinetmaker's working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly material takeoffs and cost estimates worked out from drawings. Machine setup, hand-tool joinery and hardware fitting stay with people because they need physical skill and safety judgment at the bench. Which cabinetmaker tasks is AI taking over? Material takeoffs and cost estimates are the most exposed, with an exposure score of 70, because software can count parts and costs directly from drawings. CNC program generation follows at 60, since AI can write the toolpaths while the worker tests and verifies them. CAD drafting also shifts as AI produces design variations. Which cabinetmaker tasks stay human? Final touch-up sanding, joint reinforcement and hand-tool joinery score 4 to 5 on exposure, the lowest in the job. Machine setup and operation scores 8 because it is physical and safety critical, and a person must feel the cut and stop a bad board before it fails. How can cabinetmakers stay valuable as AI spreads? Become the person who checks AI output at the machine. Test every generated CNC program on scrap stock before a production run, and log the results in the CMMS. Audit AI material takeoffs against supplier prices in Microsoft Excel. Keep client sign-off and hand-tool fitting skills sharp, because those stay with the bench. ## Related jobs - [Toolmakers29 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/toolmakers/) - [Sheet metal workers20 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/sheet-metal-workers/) - [Grinding machine operators21 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/grinding-machine-operators/) ## Next steps for cabinetmakers - ### 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.