Will AI replace machinery maintenance workers?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 49m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 7h 11m (90%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 1.9% 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 3 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 49m of a typical shift. 9 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 4 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Transport machine parts, tools, equipment, and other material between work areas and storage, using cranes, hoists, or dollies. (25m a shift; e.g. MiR250 / MiR500 AMRs with ROEQ carts, in use)
• Inventory and requisition machine parts, equipment, and other supplies so that stock can be maintained and replenished. (18m a shift; e.g. Verity inventory drones, in use)
• Measure, mix, prepare, and test chemical solutions used to clean or repair machinery and equipment. (6m a shift; e.g. 3D TRASAR Technology for Cooling Water (with PORTA-FEED chemical delivery), in use)

7h 11m of a typical shift, or 90%, 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:

• Dismantle machines and remove parts for repair, using hand tools, chain falls, jacks, cranes, or hoists. (55m a shift)
• Install, replace, or change machine parts and attachments, according to production specifications. (55m a shift)
• Reassemble machines after the completion of repair or maintenance work. (49m a shift)
• Lubricate or apply adhesives or other materials to machines, machine parts, or other equipment according to specified procedures. (43m a shift)
• Clean machines and machine parts, using cleaning solvents, cloths, air guns, hoses, vacuums, or other equipment. (37m 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:

• 92% spend more than half the day on their feet
• 84% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 81% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety

On Indeed, job postings in the Installation & Maintenance sector are at 118% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 4.1% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 4,400 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 $60,850 a year ($29.25 an hour), 19% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $42,000 and $88,550 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 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 59,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 4,400 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 60,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.04% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 356th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 59,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a post-secondary certificate: about 54% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's degree. 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:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Repairing, Equipment Maintenance, Troubleshooting, Operation and Control
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 11m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word

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:

• Troubleshoot electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical equipment and machines.

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:

• Industrial Machinery Mechanics (6m touched, $65k median pay)
• Rail Car Repairers (0m touched, $68k median pay)
• Control and Valve Installers and Repairers (19m touched, $74k median pay)
• Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (0m touched, $62k median pay)
• Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (0m touched, $47k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 3 with robots in real deployments, 15 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.