# Will rock splitters be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Rock splitters score 12 out of 100 for AI exposure. 78% of their task time needs a person. AI helps with the other 22%. - **22%** AI helps - **78%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 93% of the 923 jobs we scored. ## Task by task We graded 9 tasks, most exposed first. AI can't fully do any of them yet. It helps with 2 and leaves 7 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Cut slabs of stone into sheets that will be used for floors or counters. Software can plan cut sheets from drawings, saw operation stays physical. | 30% AI helps | | Mark dimensions or outlines on stone prior to cutting, using rules and chalk lines. AI can read drawings to generate layouts, marking stays manual. | 20% AI helps | | Locate grain line patterns to determine how rocks will split when cut. Reading grain on physical stone needs trained eyes and hands. | 12% Needs a person | | Remove pieces of stone from larger masses, using jackhammers, wedges, and other tools. Removing stone with jackhammers and wedges is physical work. | 8% Needs a person | | Cut grooves along outlines, using chisels. Chiseling grooves along outlines is skilled hands on work. | 6% Needs a person | ## How rock splitters compare All jobs (923) Construction and extraction (61) The dark line is **rock splitters, at 12**. Each dot is a score, and darker dots mean more jobs share it. The short marks are the averages, 37 for all jobs and 15 for construction and extraction. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $48,740 a year, May 2025 People employed 3,320 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +5.8% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Read grain lines on physical stone before each split - Drill outlines and split blocks with jackhammers and wedges - Check AI-drafted cut sheets against drawings in AutoCAD - Mark cut outlines with rules and chalk lines before sawing - Track yield and waste per block in Microsoft Excel - Hold a blasting licence before charging explosives ## Safer roles nearby 5 related jobs with lower scores. - [Foundry mold makers7 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/foundry-mold-makers/) - [Cement masons8 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cement-masons/) - [Mining helpers11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/mining-helpers/) - [Stonemasons10 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/stonemasons/) - [Segmental pavers11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/segmental-pavers/) ## Questions about rock splitters and AI Will AI replace rock splitters? Partly. About 1 in 10 of a rock splitter's working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly cutting slabs into sheets and marking dimensions on stone. Splitting, drilling, and reading grain stay with people because they need hands on the rock in the quarry. Which rock splitter tasks is AI taking over? Cutting slabs into sheets is the most exposed task, with an exposure score of 30, because software can plan sheet layouts from drawings. Marking dimensions and outlines scores 20, since AI can read drawings to generate layouts. The saw operation itself stays physical. Which rock splitter tasks stay human? Reading grain lines scores 12 on exposure because it needs trained eyes and hands on physical stone. Removing stone with jackhammers and wedges scores 8, and charging explosives scores 3, since both are physical, hazardous work done on site. How can rock splitters stay valuable? Read grain lines on each block before splitting, since that judgment is hardest to automate. Check AI-drafted cut sheets against drawings in AutoCAD before sawing. Log yield and waste per block in Excel to show where cuts lose stone. ## Related jobs - [Stone cutters16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/stone-cutters/) - [Oil rig drillers14 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/oil-rig-drillers/) - [Sawmill operators16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/sawmill-operators/) - [Hand cutters16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/hand-cutters/) ## Next steps for rock splitters - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV to see which 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/) - ### Estimate team savings The score is per person. Add headcount and salary to see the hours AI can take on in a team of rock splitters, and what they cost. [Estimate what AI saves a team of rock splitters](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/team-ai-audit/?role=rock-splitters) [Work out the return on automation](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-savings-calculator/) ### 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**Roustabouts score lowest, at 6.](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**Pediatric surgeons earn a median $559,030 and score 29.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Roustabouts need little prior training and score 6.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**AI helps with 98% of the task time for health informatics specialists.](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 score, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 job 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/) Sources and licences 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.