Will riggers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Riggers score 17 of 100 for AI exposure. 92% of their task time still needs a person. AI speeds up the other 8%.
- 8% AI helps
- 92% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 85% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 14 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 1 and leaves 13 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Select gear, such as cables, pulleys, and winches, according to load weights and sizes, facilities, and work schedules. Software and load charts speed gear selection; site checks remain. | 40% AI helps |
| Fabricate, set up, and repair rigging, supporting structures, hoists, and pulling gear, using hand and power tools. Mostly hands on fabrication; AI helps only with planning. | 18% Needs a person |
| Test rigging to ensure safety and reliability. Physical load testing on site; AI only helps with records. | 15% Needs a person |
| Signal or verbally direct workers engaged in hoisting and moving loads to ensure safety of workers and materials. Live verbal direction of crews; needs human presence and judgment. | 10% Needs a person |
| Clean and dress machine surfaces and component parts. Physical cleaning and dressing of machine parts on site. | 10% Needs a person |
| Control movement of heavy equipment through narrow openings or confined spaces, using chainfalls, gin poles, gallows frames, and other equipment. Physical control of loads through tight spaces, on site. | 8% Needs a person |
| Dismantle and store rigging equipment after use. Physical teardown and gear storage where AI adds little. | 8% Needs a person |
| Load machines onto trucks to prepare for transportation. Physical machine loading with cranes and ramps; little AI role. | 8% Needs a person |
| Align, level, and anchor machinery. Precision alignment of machinery on site needs hands and tools. | 6% Needs a person |
| Attach pulleys and blocks to fixed overhead structures, such as beams, ceilings, and gin pole booms, using bolts and clamps. Physical bolting of pulleys to overhead structures, site work. | 6% Needs a person |
Show the other 4 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Tilt, dip, and turn suspended loads to maneuver over, under, or around obstacles, using multi-point suspension techniques. Live manipulation of suspended loads needs physical skill and judgment. | 5% Needs a person |
| Attach loads to rigging to provide support or prepare them for moving, using hand and power tools. Hand and power tool work attaching loads on site. | 5% Needs a person |
| Manipulate rigging lines, hoists, and pulling gear to move or support materials, such as heavy equipment, ships, or theatrical sets. Physical handling of lines and hoists; little AI help. | 5% Needs a person |
| Install ground rigging for yarding lines, attaching chokers to logs and to the lines. Physical work in logging yards attaching chokers to logs. | 4% Needs a person |
How riggers compare
All occupations (923)
Installation, maintenance and repair (50)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $62,640 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 22,530 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +3.9% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Read load charts to select cables, pulleys, and winches
- Draft rigging layouts in Autodesk AutoCAD
- Log load test results in Microsoft Excel
- Hold an NCCCO rigger certification for hoisting work
- Direct hoisting crews with verbal signals on site
- Model stage rigging and set flying in Autodesk Maya
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about riggers and AI
Will AI replace riggers?
Partly. About 1 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly gear selection from load charts and planning for fabrication. The physical work of rigging, hoisting, and testing on site stays with riggers because it needs hands, tools, and judgment in the field.
Which tasks is AI taking over for riggers?
Selecting gear is the most exposed task, with an exposure score of 40. Software and load charts speed up the choice of cables, pulleys, and winches for each load weight, so riggers spend less time on calculation and more time on site checks. Fabricating and setting up rigging scores 18, with AI helping mainly in planning.
Which tasks stay human for riggers?
Directing hoisting crews, controlling loads through tight spaces, and load testing stay with riggers. Signaling crews scores 10 and needs a person present with judgment. Physical load testing on site scores 15, leaving AI only the records. Tilting suspended loads scores 5 because it needs live physical skill.
How can riggers stay valuable as AI spreads?
Keep the hands-on and certified parts of the job, and let AI handle the paperwork around them. Hold an NCCCO rigger certification tied to hoisting work. Draft layouts in Autodesk AutoCAD so drawings match the site. Check load chart outputs against physical checks before each lift, and log test results in Microsoft Excel.
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