Will AI replace team assemblers?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 7h 41m (96%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 1.1% more 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 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 19m of a typical shift. 5 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.

• Operate machinery and heavy equipment, such as forklifts. (18m a shift; e.g. Seegrid Palion AMRs (autonomous lift trucks, pallet trucks, tow tractors), in use)

7h 41m of a typical shift, or 96%, 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:

• Rotate through all the tasks required in a particular production process. (4h 6m a shift)
• Perform quality checks on products and parts. (49m a shift)
• Package finished products and prepare them for shipment. (43m a shift)
• Review work orders and blueprints to ensure work is performed according to specifications. (25m a shift)
• Shovel, sweep, or otherwise clean work areas. (25m 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% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 82% talk face to face with others every day
• 62% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety

We track 3 sourced company moves that affect this job. Most recent:

• Jun 29, 2026: BMW plans to use Figure 03 humanoid for parts sequencing at Spartanburg (Announced)
• Jun 17, 2026: Autonomique moves semi-humanoid robot toward production at F&P Mfg. (Pilot)
• May 26, 2026: Schaeffler plans hundreds of Humanoid robots in its German factories (Plan)

On Indeed, job postings in the Production & Manufacturing sector are at 124% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 12.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 139,000 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 $44,650 a year ($21.47 an hour), 12% below the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $33,280 and $64,880 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer.

BLS projects growth of 1.1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 1.4 million jobs in 2035. It expects about 139,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 1.4 million people in the U.S., roughly 0.90% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 24th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 1.4 million in 2035.

The most common requirement is a high school diploma: about 81% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 2 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: high school diploma, some training. 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: Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring, Instructing, Time Management
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 41m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint

These use similar skills. 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:

• Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic (17m touched, $49k median pay)
• Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders (1h 8m touched, $46k median pay)
• Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders (3h 54m touched, $54k median pay)
• Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers (2h 36m touched, $46k median pay)
• Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators (0m touched, $47k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 10 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.