Short answer
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Mechanical Engineers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places mechanical engineers in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +11.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 17,800 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 30/100Higher than 23% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +11.2%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 17,800BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed mechanical engineers 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. Mechanical Engineers land in the very high category: among the occupations most 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
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- 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.
- 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 discussions4.4/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Thinking creatively4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Making decisions and solving problems4.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials3.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Working with computers4.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Documenting/recording information3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Email5.0/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
The tasks O*NET lists for mechanical engineers
- Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.
- Research, design, evaluate, install, operate, or maintain mechanical products, equipment, systems or processes to meet requirements.
- Specify system components or direct modification of products to ensure conformance with engineering design, performance specifications, or environmental regulations.
- Research and analyze customer design proposals, specifications, manuals, or other data to evaluate the feasibility, cost, or maintenance requirements of designs or applications.
- Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information.
- Provide feedback to design engineers on customer problems or needs.
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 +11.2% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 17,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 296,810 people work in the job today, at a median of $104,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full mechanical engineer profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than mechanical engineers
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.
Mechanical Engineering Technologist and Technician
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $74,510median a year
- Growth
- +1.3%
- Openings / yr
- 3,100
- Education
- Associate's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 42/100
- resilience
Apply theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, test, or adjust machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.
Health and Safety Engineer, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $115,160median a year
- Growth
- +5.4%
- Openings / yr
- 1,200
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 41/100
- resilience
Promote worksite or product safety by applying knowledge of industrial processes, mechanics, chemistry, psychology, and industrial health and safety laws.
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologist and Technician
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $78,190median a year
- Growth
- +2.4%
- Openings / yr
- 8,100
- Education
- Associate's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 37/100
- resilience
Apply electrical and electronic theory and related knowledge, usually under the direction of engineering staff, to design, build, repair, adjust, and modify electrical components, circuitry, controls, and machinery fo…
Calibration Technologist and Technician
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $67,820median a year
- Growth
- +4.8%
- Openings / yr
- 1,500
- Education
- Associate's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 36/100
- resilience
Execute or adapt procedures and techniques for calibrating measurement devices, by applying knowledge of measurement science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and electronics, sometimes under the direction of engineer…
Transportation Engineer
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $100,840median a year
- Growth
- +6.4%
- Openings / yr
- 22,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 35/100
- resilience
Develop plans for surface transportation projects, according to established engineering standards and state or federal construction policy.
Architect
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $99,280median a year
- Growth
- +4.3%
- Openings / yr
- 6,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
- High
- BLS AI exposure
- 33/100
- resilience
Plan and design structures, such as private residences, office buildings, theaters, factories, and other structural property.
Questions
Will AI Replace Mechanical Engineers? FAQ
Will AI replace mechanical engineers?
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it 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 +11.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 17,800 openings a year.
How exposed are mechanical engineers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Mechanical Engineers are in the very high category, alongside 198 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 mechanical engineer's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are working with computers, documenting/recording information and evaluating information to determine compliance with standards. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, thinking creatively and making decisions and solving problems. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a mechanical engineer a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, mechanical engineers score 30 out of 100, higher than 23% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $104,110 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 mechanical engineers are less exposed to AI?
Mechanical Engineering Technologist and Technician (high exposure, $74,510 median), Health and Safety Engineer, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors (high exposure, $115,160 median), Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologist and Technician (high exposure, $78,190 median), Calibration Technologist and Technician (high exposure, $67,820 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than mechanical engineers, 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.