---
title: "Will AI Replace Dishwashers? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates dishwashers' exposure to AI as low. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (-1.0% projected)."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-dishwashers"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Dishwashers? (2026)

**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.

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.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Low | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 56/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | -1.0% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 68,900 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $34,810 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low (this job) | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Face-to-face discussions: 4.4/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Time spent on your feet: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Hands-on work with tools and objects: 3.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Handling and moving objects: 3.4/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

None rated clearly above the midpoint.

## O\*NET tasks

- 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.

## Related careers that are also low-exposure

- [Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cleaner-of-vehicles-and-equipment): BLS exposure Low, median $35,830; [Will AI replace cleaners of vehicles and equipment?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-cleaners-of-vehicles-and-equipment)
- [Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper](https://nuecareer.com/careers/dining-room-and-cafeteria-attendant-and-bartender-helper): BLS exposure Low, median $33,980; [Will AI replace bussers?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-bussers)
- [Janitor and Cleaner, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners](https://nuecareer.com/careers/janitor-and-cleaner): BLS exposure Low, median $36,840; [Will AI replace janitors and cleaners?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-janitors-and-cleaners)

## 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.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/dishwasher.

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology