Will AI replace maintenance technicians?
Updated
Maintenance workers score 21 of 100 for AI exposure. 66% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 9% today and speed up another 25%.
- 9% AI can do it
- 25% AI helps
- 66% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 78% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 27 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 6 and leaves 19 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Record type and cost of maintenance or repair work. Logging repair type and cost is structured data entry. | 80% AI can do it |
| Order parts, supplies, or equipment from catalogs or suppliers. Ordering from catalogs and suppliers is routine digital work. | 70% AI can do it |
| Estimate costs to repair machinery, equipment, or building structures. AI can draft estimates from quotes, site visit needed. | 55% AI helps |
| Diagnose mechanical problems and determine how to correct them, checking blueprints, repair manuals, or parts catalogs, as necessary. AI can search manuals and suggest diagnoses, technician decides. | 45% AI helps |
| Plan and lay out repair work, using diagrams, drawings, blueprints, maintenance manuals, or schematic diagrams. AI can read diagrams and draft repair layouts. | 40% AI helps |
| Design new equipment to aid in the repair or maintenance of machines, mechanical equipment, or building structures. AI can draft designs, but builds and testing stay physical. | 35% AI helps |
| Train or manage maintenance personnel or subcontractors. AI can help schedules and training materials, people lead. | 30% AI helps |
| Inspect, operate, or test machinery or equipment to diagnose machine malfunctions. Hands-on testing, but AI can help interpret readings. | 25% AI helps |
| Set up and operate machine tools to repair or fabricate machine parts, jigs, fixtures, or tools. Machine tool operation is physical, CNC programming can be aided. | 15% Needs a person |
| Perform routine maintenance, such as inspecting drives, motors, or belts, checking fluid levels, replacing filters, or doing other preventive maintenance actions. Physical inspection and servicing of drives, motors, belts. | 12% Needs a person |
Show the other 17 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Inspect used parts to determine changes in dimensional requirements, using rules, calipers, micrometers, or other measuring instruments. Hands-on measuring of parts with calipers and micrometers. | 12% Needs a person |
| Install equipment to improve the energy or operational efficiency of residential or commercial buildings. Physical installation of efficiency equipment in buildings. | 10% Needs a person |
| Adjust functional parts of devices or control instruments, using hand tools, levels, plumb bobs, or straightedges. Physical adjustment of devices with hand tools and levels. | 8% Needs a person |
| Repair machines, equipment, or structures, using tools such as hammers, hoists, saws, drills, wrenches, or equipment such as precision measuring instruments or electrical or electronic testing devices. Physical repair work using hammers, hoists, saws, drills. | 8% Needs a person |
| Maintain or repair specialized equipment or machinery located in cafeterias, laundries, hospitals, stores, offices, or factories. Hands-on repair of specialized equipment on site. | 8% Needs a person |
| Fabricate or repair counters, benches, partitions, or other wooden structures, such as sheds or outbuildings. Physical carpentry on counters, benches, and structures. | 8% Needs a person |
| Align and balance new equipment after installation. Precision physical alignment and balancing of installed equipment. | 6% Needs a person |
| Clean or lubricate shafts, bearings, gears, or other parts of machinery. Physical lubrication and cleaning of moving machine parts. | 5% Needs a person |
| Dismantle machines, equipment, or devices to access and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes, hand tools, or power tools. Physical dismantling with cranes, hoists, and tools. | 5% Needs a person |
| Paint or repair roofs, windows, doors, floors, woodwork, plaster, drywall, or other parts of building structures. Physical painting and repair of roofs, walls, floors. | 5% Needs a person |
| Perform routine maintenance on boilers, such as replacing burners or hoses, installing replacement parts, or reinforcing structural weaknesses to ensure optimal boiler efficiency. Physical boiler part replacement and structural reinforcement. | 5% Needs a person |
| Assemble, install, or repair wiring, electrical or electronic components, pipe systems, plumbing, machinery, or equipment. Physical installation and repair of wiring and pipes. | 4% Needs a person |
| Assemble boilers at installation sites, using tools such as levels, plumb bobs, hammers, torches, or other hand tools. Physical assembly of boilers at installation sites. | 4% Needs a person |
| Perform general cleaning of buildings or properties. Physical general cleaning of buildings and properties. | 3% Needs a person |
| Operate cutting torches or welding equipment to cut or join metal parts. Physical operation of torches and welding equipment. | 3% Needs a person |
| Position, attach, or blow insulating materials to prevent energy losses from buildings, pipes, or other structures or objects. Physical placement and blowing of insulation materials. | 3% Needs a person |
| Provide groundskeeping services, such as landscaping or snow removal. Outdoor landscaping and snow removal require physical work. | 2% Needs a person |
How maintenance workers compare
All occupations (923)
Installation, maintenance and repair (50)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $49,590 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 1.5 million in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +4.2% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Diagnose faults from repair manuals and parts catalogs on site
- Hold a journeyman license in plumbing, electrical, or HVAC
- Run pipe fitting, welding, and insulation work manually
- Check AI-drafted repair layouts against blueprints in Autodesk AutoCAD
- Keep SAP maintenance records and cost logs accurate in Excel
- Balance and align new HVAC equipment during installation
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about maintenance workers and AI
Will maintenance technicians be replaced by AI?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours of a maintenance worker go to tasks AI can already do, mostly recording repair type and cost and ordering parts. Hands-on repair, welding, insulating, and pipe work stay with people because they need a person physically working on the equipment.
Which tasks is AI taking over for maintenance workers?
Recording repair type and cost is the most exposed task, scoring 80, because it is structured data entry. Ordering parts from catalogs and suppliers scores 70 because it is routine digital work. AI can also draft cost estimates from quotes, scoring 55, though a site visit still confirms the numbers.
Which maintenance worker tasks stay human?
Assembling, installing, or repairing wiring, pipe systems, and machinery scores 4 on exposure, and insulating or welding scores 3. These tasks need a person physically in the building or on the machine. Groundskeeping scores 2 because landscaping and snow removal are outdoor physical work.
How do maintenance workers stay valuable as AI spreads?
Hold a journeyman license in one trade such as plumbing or electrical, since installs and repairs need a licensed person on site. Learn to check AI-drafted layouts against the real building in AutoCAD. Use SAP work orders and Excel cost tracking to catch errors in logged repair data.
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