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Will AI Replace Industrial Machinery Mechanics? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places industrial machinery mechanics in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +17.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 44,400 openings a year.

Short answer

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average.

BLS AI exposure
ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
55/100Higher than 74% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+17.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
44,400BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed industrial machinery mechanics 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. Industrial Machinery Mechanics land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.

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. Low203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate · this job194 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

  • Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment4.1/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Face-to-face discussions4.6/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects4.5/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Performing general physical activities3.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Documenting/recording information3.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Getting information4.0/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Working with computers3.4/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Being exact or highly accurate3.7/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

The tasks O*NET lists for industrial machinery mechanics

  • Examine parts for defects, such as breakage or excessive wear.
  • Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment.
  • Clean, lubricate, or adjust parts, equipment, or machinery.
  • Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs.
  • Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment.
  • Reassemble equipment after completion of inspections, testing, or repairs.

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 +17.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 44,400 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 439,640 people work in the job today, at a median of $64,520 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full industrial machinery mechanic profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than industrial machinery mechanics

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

  1. Millwright

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $65,700median a year
    Growth
    +0.9%
    Openings / yr
    3,200
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    67/100
    resilience

    Install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to layout plans, blueprints, or other drawings.

  2. Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $65,510median a year
    Growth
    +6.7%
    Openings / yr
    15,000
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    66/100
    resilience

    Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul mobile mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment, such as cranes, bulldozers, graders, and conveyors, used in construction, logging, and mining.

  3. Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairer

    Installation, Maintenance, and Repair

    Median pay
    $56,210median a year
    Growth
    +4.4%
    Openings / yr
    1,400
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    59/100
    resilience

    Repair, maintain, or install electric motors, wiring, or switches.

  4. Engine and Other Machine Assembler

    Production

    Median pay
    $53,710median a year
    Growth
    −17.0%
    Openings / yr
    2,100
    Education
    High school
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    58/100
    resilience

    Construct, assemble, or rebuild machines, such as engines, turbines, and similar equipment used in such industries as construction, extraction, textiles, and paper manufacturing.

Will AI replace mobile heavy equipment mechanics?

Questions

Will AI Replace Industrial Machinery Mechanics? FAQ

Will AI replace industrial machinery mechanics?

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average. 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 change by +17.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 44,400 openings a year.

How exposed are industrial machinery mechanics to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Industrial Machinery Mechanics are in the moderate category, alongside 193 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 an industrial machinery mechanic's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are documenting/recording information, getting information and working with computers. The parts that hold up best are repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment, face-to-face discussions and hands-on work with tools and objects. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.

Is being an industrial machinery mechanic a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, industrial machinery mechanics score 55 out of 100, higher than 74% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $64,520 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 industrial machinery mechanics are less exposed to AI?

Millwright (low exposure, $65,700 median), Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines (low exposure, $65,510 median), Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairer (low exposure, $56,210 median), Engine and Other Machine Assembler (low exposure, $53,710 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than industrial machinery mechanics, 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.