AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-4194.00
Will AI replace Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners?
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners: AI can already handle 1 of 18 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 18 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect dies to detect defects, assess wear, and verify specifications, using micrometers, steel gauge pins, and loupes. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Study blueprints or layouts of metal workpieces to determine grinding procedures, and to plan machine setups and operational sequences. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inspect, feel, and measure workpieces to ensure that surfaces and dimensions meet specifications. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Attach workpieces to grinding machines and form specified sections and repair cracks, using welding or brazing equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor machine operations to determine whether adjustments are necessary, stopping machines when problems occur. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Select and mount grinding wheels on machines, according to specifications, using hand tools and applying knowledge of abrasives and grinding procedures. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Compute numbers, widths, and angles of cutting tools, micrometers, scales, and gauges, and adjust tools to produce specified cuts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Turn valves to direct flow of coolant against cutting wheels and workpieces during grinding. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Set up and operate grinding or polishing machines to grind metal workpieces, such as dies, parts, and tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Dress grinding wheels, according to specifications. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Remove finished workpieces from machines and place them in boxes or on racks, setting aside pieces that are defective. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Perform basic maintenance, such as cleaning and lubricating machine parts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Fit parts together in pre-assembly to ensure that dimensions are accurate. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Duplicate workpiece contours, using tracer attachments. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Remove and replace worn or broken machine parts, using hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Place workpieces in electroplating solutions or apply pigments to surfaces of workpieces to highlight ridges and grooves. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Straighten workpieces and remove dents, using straightening presses and hammers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| File or finish surfaces of workpieces, using prescribed hand tools. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 18 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 18 of 18. 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 23% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 23% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 77% 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
- 5,600
- Median annual wage
- $50,060
- Middle half of earners
- $40,800 to $62,150
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -7.8%
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.
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 79% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure16
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure20
- Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure16
- Tool and Die Makers 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure25
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure17
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners and AI
Will AI replace Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners?
AI already handles 1 of the 18 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 -7.8% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners?
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. 0 of the 18 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 18 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Inspect dies to detect defects, assess wear, and verify specifications, using micrometers, steel gauge pins, and loupes. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 23% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 77% 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 Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners, and what do they earn?
5,600 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $50,060 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -7.8% 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: Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners. 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/tool-grinders-filers-and-sharpeners
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