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AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Dishwashers? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places dishwashers in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to fall by 1.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 68,900 openings a year.

Short answer

Very unlikely. BLS rates dishwashers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

BLS AI exposure
LowBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
56/100Higher than 75% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
-1.0%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
68,900BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed dishwashers are to AI

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Dishwashers land in the low category: among the occupations least exposed to current AI.

Where this job sits on the BLS scale

786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each

  1. Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
  3. The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.

Inside the work

What AI can and cannot do in this job

O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.

What holds up

Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work

  • Face-to-face discussions4.4/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Time spent on your feet4.2/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects3.6/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Handling and moving objects3.4/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

None of the routine information-processing activities rate highly for this job, which is a large part of why its exposure is low.

The tasks O*NET lists for dishwashers

  • Sweep or scrub floors.
  • Place clean dishes, utensils, or cooking equipment in storage areas.
  • Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, or utensils in clean and orderly condition.
  • Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, or pans, using dishwashers or by hand.
  • Sort and remove trash, placing it in designated pickup areas.
  • Clean garbage cans with water or steam.

O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.

The jobs

Will there still be jobs?

Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects -1.0% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 68,900 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 477,450 people work in the job today, at a median of $34,810 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full dishwasher profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers that are also low-exposure

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a low exposure category.

  1. Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment

    Transportation and Material Moving

    Median pay
    $35,830median a year
    Growth
    +3.9%
    Openings / yr
    51,500
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    61/100
    resilience

    Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment.

  2. Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper

    Food Preparation and Serving Related

    Median pay
    $33,980median a year
    Growth
    +5.3%
    Openings / yr
    95,300
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    60/100
    resilience

    Facilitate food service.

  3. Janitor and Cleaner, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

    Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance

    Median pay
    $36,840median a year
    Growth
    +2.2%
    Openings / yr
    321,800
    Education
    No formal credential
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    58/100
    resilience

    Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition.

Will AI replace cleaners of vehicles and equipment?Will AI replace bussers?Will AI replace janitors and cleaners?

Questions

Will AI Replace Dishwashers? FAQ

Will AI replace dishwashers?

Very unlikely. BLS rates dishwashers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to fall by 1.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 68,900 openings a year.

How exposed are dishwashers to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Dishwashers are in the low category, alongside 202 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.

What parts of a dishwasher's job are hard for AI to do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the activities that matter most are face-to-face discussions, time spent on your feet and hands-on work with tools and objects: physical, hands-on or person-to-person work that current AI tools do not perform. None of the routine information-processing activities rate highly for this job.

Is being a dishwasher a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, dishwashers score 56 out of 100, higher than 75% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $34,810 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.

What careers similar to dishwashers are less exposed to AI?

Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment (low exposure, $35,830 median), Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper (low exposure, $33,980 median), Janitor and Cleaner, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners (low exposure, $36,840 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.

The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.