Will AI replace dishwashers?

Some tasks are already being done by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 3h 56m of a typical shift is made up of tasks that AI or robots have done on their own in real use somewhere. That doesn't mean those hours are automated in a typical workplace. The other 4h 4m (51%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 1% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 3h 56m of a typical shift. 10 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 1 physical task, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, or pans, using dishwashers or by hand. (3h 48m a shift; e.g. Armstrong dishwashing robot, in use)
• Load or unload trucks that deliver or pick up food or supplies. (8m a shift; e.g. Stretch, in use)

4h 4m of a typical shift, or 51%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, or utensils in clean and orderly condition. (49m a shift)
• Place clean dishes, utensils, or cooking equipment in storage areas. (49m a shift)
• Sweep or scrub floors. (41m a shift)
• Sort and remove trash, placing it in designated pickup areas. (33m a shift)
• Stock supplies, such as food or utensils, in serving stations, cupboards, refrigerators, or salad bars. (16m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 75% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 63% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 56% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Nov 21, 2025: Armstrong Robotics runs dishwashing robots in restaurants around the clock (Pilot)

On Indeed, job postings in the Food Preparation & Service sector are at 96% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 3.1% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 69,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $34,810 a year ($16.73 an hour), 32% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $26,200 and $42,860 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects a decline of 1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 476,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 69,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 477,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.31% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 86th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 476,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 56% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 1 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: little or no preparation. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 4h 4m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Facebook, Microsoft Windows

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Clean and sanitize the dining area, including tables.

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Sewing Machine Operators (19m touched, $37k median pay)
• Helpers for Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons (26m touched, $40k median pay)
• Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers (58m touched, $35k median pay)
• Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials (40m touched, $35k median pay)
• Food Preparation Workers (49m touched, $35k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 with robots in real deployments, 11 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.