# Will AI replace painters? Updated October 2026 Painters score 18 of 100 for AI exposure. 74% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 6% today and speed up another 20%. - **6%** AI can do it - **20%** AI helps - **74%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 84% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 17 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 4 and leaves 12 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Calculate amounts of required materials and estimate costs, based on surface measurements or work orders. Material quantities and cost estimates are routine calculations from measurements. | 75% AI can do it | | Select and purchase tools or finishes for surfaces to be covered, considering durability, ease of handling, methods of application, and customers' wishes. AI can compare products and draft purchase lists for review. | 50% AI helps | | Read work orders or receive instructions from supervisors or homeowners to determine work requirements. AI can summarize work orders; onsite client talks stay human. | 40% AI helps | | Mix and match colors of paint, stain, or varnish with oil or thinning and drying additives to obtain desired colors and consistencies. Software helps match colors; physical mixing stays manual. | 30% AI helps | | Cut stencils and brush or spray lettering or decorations on surfaces. AI can draft stencil designs; cutting and spraying stay manual. | 22% AI helps | ## How painters compare All occupations (923) Construction and extraction (61) **Painters score 18**, 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 15 for construction and extraction. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $49,400 a year, May 2025 People employed 225,190 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +3.0% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Measure surfaces and quote jobs in Eagle Bid Estimating - Check AI material takeoffs against site measurements before quoting - Mix and match colors with oil and thinning additives manually - Set up scaffolding and ladders safely for work above ground - Prepare surfaces by sanding, scraping and removing old paint - Run faux finishing techniques such as sponging, ragging and layering ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Industrial painters16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industrial-painters/) - [Painter helpers9 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/painter-helpers/) - [Plasterers14 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/plasterers/) - [Spray painting machine operators15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/spray-painting-machine-operators/) - [Furniture finishers17 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/furniture-finishers/) ## Questions about painters and AI Will painters be replaced by AI? Partly. About 2 in 10 of a painter's working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly material quantity calculations and cost estimates from measurements, plus comparing and listing finishes to buy. Applying paint to real walls, bridges and structures stays with people because it needs hands, brushes, spray guns and judgment on the job. Which painting tasks is AI taking over? Calculating material amounts and cost estimates scores 75 on exposure, the highest of any task in this job, because surface measurements and work orders give software clear inputs. Selecting finishes scores 50, since AI can compare products on durability and application method and draft a purchase list for the painter to check. Which painting tasks stay human? Applying paint, stain or varnish to structures scores 5 on exposure, so brushing, rolling and spraying buildings and bridges stays with painters. Scaffold and ladder setup scores 3 because it is physical and carries fall risk. Sanding and smoothing surfaces scores 6 because hand work on the surface needs a person. How can painters stay valuable as AI takes on estimating? Quote jobs yourself in Eagle Bid Estimating or Quick Bid, and check any AI quantity list against your site measurements before sending a price. Spend time on hand skills such as faux finishing and colour matching with oil and thinning additives, since those tasks score 12 and 30 on exposure and need a person at the surface. ## Related jobs - [Roofers12 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/roofers/) - [Drywall installers9 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/drywall-installers/) - [Carpenters18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/carpenters/) - [Cement masons8 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cement-masons/) ## Next steps for painters - ### 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.