Will control valve technicians be replaced by AI?
Updated
Control valve technicians score 19 of 100 for AI exposure. 85% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 9% today and speed up another 6%.
- 9% AI can do it
- 6% AI helps
- 85% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 82% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 32 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 2 and leaves 28 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Record meter readings and installation data on meter cards, work orders, or field service orders, or enter data into hand-held computers. Recording readings and work order data is largely digital entry. | 75% AI can do it |
| Record maintenance information, including test results, material usage, and repairs made. Drafts maintenance logs and material usage records from technician notes. | 65% AI can do it |
| Advise customers on proper installation of valves or regulators and related equipment. Customer advice is live, AI can supply reference info. | 35% AI helps |
| Report hazardous field situations and damaged or missing meters. Field hazard spotting is physical; AI helps draft the report. | 30% AI helps |
| Install, inspect and test electric meters, relays, and power sources to detect causes of malfunctions and inaccuracies, using hand tools and testing equipment. Hands-on testing and diagnosing of meters and electrical components. | 15% Needs a person |
| Test valves and regulators for leaks and accurate temperature and pressure settings, using precision testing equipment. Physical leak and pressure testing with precision equipment. | 15% Needs a person |
| Investigate instances of illegal tapping into service lines. Field investigation of illegal tapping needs site visits and judgment. | 15% Needs a person |
| Calibrate instrumentation, such as meters, gauges, and regulators, for pressure, temperature, flow, and level. Physical calibration against gauges needs hands-on equipment work. | 12% Needs a person |
| Shut off service and notify repair crews when major repairs are required, such as the replacement of underground pipes or wiring. Physical shutoff and crew handoff need on-site judgment. | 10% Needs a person |
| Examine valves or mechanical control device parts for defects, dents, or loose attachments, and mark malfunctioning areas of defective units. Visual and physical inspection of parts for defects. | 8% Needs a person |
Show the other 22 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Trace and tag meters or house lines. Physically tracing and tagging lines at the site. | 8% Needs a person |
| Measure tolerances of assembled and salvageable parts for conformance to standards or specifications, using gauges, micrometers, and calipers. Physical measurement with micrometers and calipers on parts. | 8% Needs a person |
| Attach air hoses to meter inlets, plug outlets, and observe gauges for pressure losses to test internal seams for leaks. Hands-on pressure leak testing with air hoses and gauges. | 8% Needs a person |
| Disassemble and repair mechanical control devices or valves, such as regulators, thermostats, or hydrants, using power tools, hand tools, and cutting torches. Physical disassembly and repair with power tools and torches. | 5% Needs a person |
| Turn meters on or off to establish or close service. Physically switching meters on or off at the site. | 5% Needs a person |
| Install regulators and related equipment such as gas meters, odorization units, and gas pressure telemetering equipment. Physical installation of regulators and gas equipment on site. | 5% Needs a person |
| Turn valves to allow measured amounts of air or gas to pass through meters at specified flow rates. Physically turning valves to set flow rates. | 5% Needs a person |
| Vary air pressure flowing into regulators and turn handles to assess functioning of valves and pistons. Hands-on pressure testing and handle manipulation of regulators. | 5% Needs a person |
| Connect regulators to test stands, and turn screw adjustments until gauges indicate that inlet and outlet pressures meet specifications. Hands-on test stand setup and screw adjustments. | 5% Needs a person |
| Repair electric meters and components, such as transformers and relays, and replace metering devices, dial glasses, and faulty or incorrect wiring, using hand tools. Hands-on repair of meter components and wiring. | 5% Needs a person |
| Make adjustments to meter components, such as setscrews or timing mechanisms, so that they conform to specifications. Physical fine-tuning of setscrews and timing mechanisms. | 5% Needs a person |
| Cut seats to receive new orifices, tap inspection ports, and perform other repairs to salvage usable materials, using hand tools and machine tools. Machining and cutting salvage repairs need hands-on tool work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Replace defective parts, such as bellows, range springs, and toggle switches, and reassemble units according to blueprints, using cam presses and hand tools. Physical part replacement and reassembly with presses and tools. | 4% Needs a person |
| Disconnect or remove defective or unauthorized meters, using hand tools. Physically removing meters, often in unsafe field conditions. | 4% Needs a person |
| Lubricate wearing surfaces of mechanical parts, using oils or other lubricants. Hands-on lubrication of moving parts in the field. | 3% Needs a person |
| Mount and install meters and other electric equipment such as time clocks, transformers, and circuit breakers, using electricians' hand tools. Physical mounting of meters and electrical equipment. | 3% Needs a person |
| Clean internal compartments and moving parts, using rags and cleaning compounds. Manual cleaning of internal parts with rags and compounds. | 3% Needs a person |
| Dismantle meters, and replace or adjust defective parts such as cases, shafts, gears, disks, and recording mechanisms, using soldering irons and hand tools. Hands-on dismantling and soldering of meter components. | 3% Needs a person |
| Splice and connect cables from meters or current transformers to pull boxes or switchboards, using hand tools. Physical cable splicing in pull boxes and switchboards. | 3% Needs a person |
| Connect hoses from provers to meter inlets and outlets, and raise prover bells until prover gauges register zero. Physical hose connection and prover bell adjustment in the field. | 3% Needs a person |
| Repair leaks in valve seats or bellows of automotive heater thermostats, using soft solder, flux, and acetylene torches. Soldering and torch repair of small thermostat parts. | 2% Needs a person |
| Clean plant growth, scale, paint, soil, or rust from meter housings, using wire brushes, scrapers, buffers, sandblasters, or cleaning compounds. Heavy physical scraping and sandblasting of housings. | 2% Needs a person |
How control valve technicians compare
All occupations (923)
Installation, maintenance and repair (50)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $74,340 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 48,240 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +4.3% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Read meter readings and test results in Microsoft Excel
- Draw valve and regulator layouts in Autodesk AutoCAD
- Test valves for leaks with precision pressure testing equipment
- Diagnose meter malfunctions with hand tools and testing equipment
- Log work orders and repairs in SAP software
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about control valve technicians and AI
Will AI replace control valve technicians?
Partly. About 1 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly recording meter readings and work order data and drafting maintenance records. Hands-on testing of meters and valves stays with people, because leak checks and pressure settings need a technician on site with precision equipment.
Which control valve technician tasks is AI taking over?
Recording meter readings and work order data has an exposure score of 75, the highest in this job, because it is largely digital entry. Writing maintenance logs from test results and material usage has a score of 65, since AI can draft those records from technician notes.
Which control valve technician tasks stay human?
Testing valves and regulators for leaks and pressure settings has an exposure score of 15, and diagnosing meters with hand tools also scores 15. Cleaning, lubricating, soldering and mounting equipment score 3 or lower, because they need a person working with physical parts in the field.
How can control valve technicians stay valuable as AI takes on paperwork?
Spend the time saved on field diagnosis and customer advice. Learn to run leak and pressure tests on valves and regulators, read meter faults with testing equipment, and use AutoCAD for installation layouts. Check AI-drafted logs in SAP software before sign-off.
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