AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 49-9044.00
Will AI replace Millwrights?
Millwrights: AI can already handle 2 of 23 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 23 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Millwrights, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troubleshoot equipment, electrical components, hydraulics, or other mechanical systems. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Connect power unit to machines or steam piping to equipment, and test unit to evaluate its mechanical operation. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Install robot and modify its program, using teach pendant. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct preventative maintenance and repair, and lubricate machines and equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Assemble and install equipment, using hand tools and power tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Weld, repair, and fabricate equipment or machinery. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Dismantle machinery and equipment for shipment to installation site, performing installation and maintenance work as part of team. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Replace defective parts of machine, or adjust clearances and alignment of moving parts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Align machines or equipment, using hoists, jacks, hand tools, squares, rules, micrometers, lasers, or plumb bobs. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Insert shims, adjust tension on nuts and bolts, or position parts, using hand tools and measuring instruments, to set specified clearances between moving and stationary parts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Signal crane operator to lower basic assembly units to bedplate, and align unit to centerline. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Assemble machines, and bolt, weld, rivet, or otherwise fasten them to foundation or other structures, using hand tools and power tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Move machinery and equipment, using hoists, dollies, rollers, and trucks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Level bedplate and establish centerline, using straightedge, levels, and transit. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dismantle machines, using hammers, wrenches, crowbars, and other hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Bolt parts, such as side and deck plates, jaw plates, and journals, to basic assembly unit. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Lay out mounting holes, using measuring instruments, and drill holes with power drill. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Attach moving parts and subassemblies to basic assembly unit, using hand tools and power tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Shrink-fit bushings, sleeves, rings, liners, gears, and wheels to specified items, using portable gas heating equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Position steel beams to support bedplates of machines and equipment, using blueprints and schematic drawings to determine work procedures. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fabricate and dismantle parts, equipment, and machines, using a cutting torch or other cutting equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Construct foundation for machines, using hand tools and building materials such as wood, cement, and steel. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Operate engine lathe to grind, file, and turn machine parts to dimensional specifications. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 23 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 22 of 23. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 26% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 30% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 70% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 40,330
- Median annual wage
- $65,700
- Middle half of earners
- $56,390 to $81,500
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- 0.0%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure24
- Machinists 65% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure27
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure20
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure21
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure49
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Millwrights and AI
Will AI replace Millwrights?
AI already handles 2 of the 23 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 21 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by 0.0% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Millwrights?
21 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 1 of the 23 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 22 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Millwrights tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Troubleshoot equipment, electrical components, hydraulics, or other mechanical systems; Connect power unit to machines or steam piping to equipment, and test unit to evaluate its mechanical operation. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 26% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 70% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Millwrights, and what do they earn?
40,330 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $65,700 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of 0.0% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Millwrights. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/millwrights
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