# Will AI replace welders? Updated October 2026 Welders score 19 of 100 for AI exposure. 77% of their task time still needs a person. AI speeds up the other 23%. - **23%** AI helps - **77%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 82% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 30 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 6 and leaves 24 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and operations. AI can read drawings and specs to draft layout plans. | 61% AI helps | | Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information. AI can do geometry and layout math from blueprints. | 57% AI helps | | Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques. AI can reason over welding codes and metallurgy; welder decides. | 56% AI helps | | Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required. Job records can generate tag text; physical marking stays manual. | 42% AI helps | | Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals. AI can look up chart specs; worker installs torches and rods. | 31% AI helps | ## How welders compare All occupations (923) Production (107) **Welders score 19**, 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 22 for production. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $53,750 a year, May 2025 People employed 416,210 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +2.4% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Weld in flat, vertical, and overhead positions to code - Pass AWS D1.1 welder performance qualification tests - Select torch tips and filler rods using Fred's Tip Cartridge Picker - Log weld records and maintenance in OmniFleet Equipment Maintenance Management - Inspect joints against drawings with straightedges and gauges - Run pipe joint layouts in EZ Pipe ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Metal fabricators11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/metal-fabricators/) - [Aircraft assemblers16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/aircraft-assemblers/) - [Engine assemblers18 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/engine-assemblers/) - [Boilermakers11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/boilermakers/) - [Woodworking machine operators16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/woodworking-machine-operators/) ## Questions about welders and AI Will welders be replaced by AI? Partly. About 2 in 10 of a welder's working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly reading engineering drawings and calculating layout geometry. Striking the arc, welding in position, and filling seams on the metal stay with welders because they need hands on the workpiece. Which welding tasks is AI taking over? Reading engineering drawings and specifications to plan layout carries the highest exposure score of any task, 61. AI can also draft the geometry and math behind templates, scoring 57, so the welder reviews a finished plan before cutting metal. Marking piece tags from job records scores 42, since software can generate the tag text. Which welding tasks stay human? Welding in flat, vertical, or overhead positions scores 4 on exposure, the same as hand soldering seams. Hammering out bulges scores 2, and striking arcs scores 3. These tasks need a person's hands on hot metal at the workpiece, where heat and position are judged by feel. How can welders stay valuable as AI grows? Pass the AWS D1.1 structural welding test in the positions your employer uses. Check every AI-drafted layout against the blueprint in Microsoft Excel before cutting. Keep OmniFleet maintenance logs and weld records current, so you can show which equipment and procedures you ran on each job. ## Related jobs - [Toolmakers29 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/toolmakers/) - [Industrial machinery mechanics31 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industrial-machinery-mechanics/) - [Grinding machine operators21 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/grinding-machine-operators/) - [Machinists28 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/machinists/) ## Next steps for welders - ### 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.