---
title: "Will AI Replace Industrial Machinery Mechanics?"
description: "BLS rates industrial machinery mechanics' exposure to AI as moderate. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-industrial-machinery-mechanics"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Industrial Machinery Mechanics? (2026)

**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.

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.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Moderate | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 55/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +17.8% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 44,400 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $64,520 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low | 203 |
| Moderate (this job) | 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

- Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment: 4.1/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Face-to-face discussions: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Hands-on work with tools and objects: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Performing general physical activities: 3.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Documenting/recording information: 3.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Getting information: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Working with computers: 3.4/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Being exact or highly accurate: 3.7/5 (O\*NET work context)

## O\*NET tasks

- 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.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than industrial machinery mechanics

- [Millwright](https://nuecareer.com/careers/millwright): BLS exposure Low, median $65,700
- [Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanic, Except Engines](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanic): BLS exposure Low, median $65,510; [Will AI replace mobile heavy equipment mechanics?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-mobile-heavy-equipment-mechanics)
- [Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electric-motor-power-tool-and-related-repairer): BLS exposure Low, median $56,210
- [Engine and Other Machine Assembler](https://nuecareer.com/careers/engine-and-other-machine-assembler): BLS exposure Low, median $53,710

## 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.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/industrial-machinery-mechanic.

---

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