Will AI replace electricians?
Updated
Electricians score 25 of 100 for AI exposure. 62% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 9% today and speed up another 29%.
- 9% AI can do it
- 29% AI helps
- 62% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 71% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 21 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 6 and leaves 13 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Perform business management duties, such as maintaining records or files, preparing reports, or ordering supplies or equipment. Records, reports and ordering are routine digital admin work. | 72% AI can do it |
| Provide preliminary sketches or cost estimates for materials or services. AI drafts estimates from plans; worker reviews pricing and scope. | 65% AI can do it |
| Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes. AI reads plans and checks code; field verification stays human. | 45% AI helps |
| Plan layout and installation of electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, based on job specifications and local codes. AI drafts layouts and checks codes; licensed judgement still leads. | 45% AI helps |
| Diagnose malfunctioning systems, apparatus, or components, using test equipment and hand tools to locate the cause of a breakdown and correct the problem. AI helps narrow fault causes; physical testing remains necessary. | 30% AI helps |
| Inspect electrical systems, equipment, or components to identify hazards, defects, or the need for adjustment or repair, and to ensure compliance with codes. Site inspection is physical; AI helps check code and report. | 30% AI helps |
| Direct or train workers to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures. Crew leadership is in person; AI can draft training materials. | 25% AI helps |
| Advise management on whether continued operation of equipment could be hazardous. AI drafts hazard summaries; the electrician is responsible for the safety call. | 25% AI helps |
| Maintain current electrician's license or identification card to meet governmental regulations. Licensing carries personal legal accountability; AI helps only with reminders. | 15% Needs a person |
| Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools. Mostly physical installation, with some diagnostic assistance possible. | 12% Needs a person |
Show the other 11 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Test electrical systems or continuity of circuits in electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using testing devices, such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, or oscilloscopes, to ensure compatibility and safety of system. Restated the measuring split as a direct statement of who does each task. | 12% Needs a person |
| Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps. Operating power tools and test gear is physical work. | 10% Needs a person |
| Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components. Used the approved rewrite from the instructions. | 10% Needs a person |
| Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes. Physical routing through walls and pulling wire is manual work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Construct or fabricate parts, using hand tools, according to specifications. Shop fabrication is physical; AI only helps read specifications. | 8% Needs a person |
| Install ground leads and connect power cables to equipment, such as motors. Physical installation of grounding and motor connections. | 5% Needs a person |
| Repair or replace wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools. Restated the AI clause as work people perform. | 4% Needs a person |
| Fasten small metal or plastic boxes to walls to house electrical switches or outlets. Physical mounting of boxes on walls; no AI help. | 3% Needs a person |
| Provide assistance during emergencies by operating floodlights or generators, placing flares, or driving needed vehicles. Emergency physical operation of equipment and vehicles. | 3% Needs a person |
| Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures. Working at height on site requires physical presence and skill. | 2% Needs a person |
| Perform physically demanding tasks, such as digging trenches to lay conduit or moving or lifting heavy objects. Heavy physical labor; AI and software have no role. | 2% Needs a person |
How electricians compare
All occupations (923)
Construction and extraction (61)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $63,190 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 757,220 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +9.2% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Review AI-drafted estimates in Construction Master Pro
- Check AI code references against the locally adopted NEC edition
- Hold a state journeyman or master electrician licence
- Mark field changes on AutoCAD as-built drawings
- Perform live repairs under lockout tagout procedures
- Install ground leads and motor connections on site
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about electricians and AI
Will electricians be replaced by AI?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours for electricians go to tasks AI can already do, mostly records, reports and ordering, plus cost estimates. Installing, repairing and inspecting wiring on site stays with people, because it needs physical presence and licensed judgement.
Will AI take over electrician jobs?
AI can already do 9% of the task time for electricians and speeds up another 29%. People still do 62% of it. The US has 757,220 electrician jobs, with a projected change of +9.2% from 2024 to 2034.
Which tasks is AI taking over for electricians?
Business admin is the most exposed, records, reports and ordering supplies are routine digital work that AI can draft and file in Microsoft Excel or SAP software. Cost estimating is next, since AI drafts estimates from plans and the electrician reviews pricing and scope. Reading blueprints for wiring locations and code checks also shifts to AI, though field verification stays human.
Which electrician tasks stay human?
Working from ladders, scaffolds or roofs stays human, because installation and repair at height needs a person on site with physical skill. Fastening boxes to walls and repairing or replacing wiring with hand and power tools also stay with the electrician, since AI has no role in physical mounting or work on live equipment. These tasks sit in the 62 percent of task weight that stays human.
How can electricians stay valuable?
Keep the on-site work that AI leaves to people, and check every AI output before it leaves the office. Review AI-drafted estimates in Construction Master Pro before quoting. Check code references against the locally adopted NEC edition. Mark field changes on AutoCAD drawings. Renew the state licence on time and take on live repair work.
Related jobs
Next steps for electricians
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.
Related topics
- Jobs AI can't replaceCement masons score lowest, at 8.
- Jobs most at risk from AIProofreaders score highest, at 76.
- High-paying jobs with low AI exposureRadiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.
- Entry-level jobs with low AI exposureCement masons need little prior training and score 8.
- Jobs AI speeds up the mostFor natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.
- AI and jobs in Malta15 iGaming roles graded task by task.
- Skills that keep work humanThe skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.
- Jobs A to ZEvery job we publish, by first letter.
- AI exposure by industryAverage scores for 22 occupation groups.
- Write a CV screening software can readHow applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.
- AI for businessesThe tasks to automate first in each team and industry.
- How we score AI exposureThe grading, the weights and every source.