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AI exposure Production

Will AI replace aircraft structure?

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers. US occupation 51-2011.

4.9%

of the time aircraft structure spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of aircraft structure's working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 252 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 66% of them.Further along than 66% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Around the middle of the pack.Keeping pace with the average job.

What AI already does for aircraft structureWhat aircraft structure no longer do alone

O*NET lists 26 tasks for aircraft structure. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Read blueprints, illustrations, or specifications to determine layouts, sequences of operations, or identities or relationships of parts.Core task mostly automated 0.98

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

25 of the 26 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Adjust, repair, rework, or replace parts or assemblies to ensure proper operation.Core task
  • Align, fit, assemble, connect, or install system components, using jigs, fixtures, measuring instruments, hand tools, or power tools.Core task
  • Assemble parts, fittings, or subassemblies on aircraft, using layout tools, hand tools, power tools, or fasteners, such as bolts, screws, rivets, or clamps.Core task
  • Assemble prefabricated parts to form subassemblies.Core task
  • Attach brackets, hinges, or clips to secure or support components or subassemblies, using bolts, screws, rivets, chemical bonding, or welding.Core task
  • Clean aircraft structures, parts, or components, using aqueous, semi-aqueous, aliphatic hydrocarbon, or organic solvent cleaning products or techniques to reduce carbon or other harmful emissions.Core task
Show the other 19
  • Clean, oil, or coat system components, as necessary, before assembly or attachment.Core task
  • Cut cables and tubing, using master templates, measuring instruments, and cable cutters or saws.Core task
  • Cut, trim, file, bend, or smooth parts to ensure proper fit and clearance.Core task
  • Inspect or test installed units, parts, systems, or assemblies for fit, alignment, performance, defects, or compliance with standards, using measuring instruments or test equipment.Core task
  • Mark identifying information on tubing or cable assemblies, using etching devices, labels, rubber stamps, or other methods.Core task
  • Set up or operate machines or systems to crimp, cut, bend, form, swage, flare, bead, burr, or straighten tubing, according to specifications.Core task
  • Assemble prototypes or integrated-technology demonstrators of new or emerging environmental technologies for aircraft.
  • Capture or segregate waste material, such as aluminum swarf, machine cutting fluid, or solvents, for recycling or environmentally responsible disposal.
  • Fabricate parts needed for assembly or installation, using shop machinery or equipment.
  • Fit and fasten sheet metal coverings to surface areas or other sections of aircraft prior to welding or riveting.
  • Install mechanical linkages and actuators, using tensiometers to verify tension of cables.
  • Join structural assemblies, such as wings, tails, or fuselage.
  • Layout and mark reference points and locations for installation of parts or components, using jigs, templates, or measuring and marking instruments.
  • Manually install structural assemblies or signal crane operators to position assemblies for joining.
  • Place and connect control cables to electronically controlled units, using hand tools, ring locks, cotter keys, threaded connectors, turnbuckles, or related devices.
  • Position and align subassemblies in jigs or fixtures, using measuring instruments and following blueprint lines and index points.
  • Set, align, adjust, or synchronize aircraft armament or rigging or control system components to established tolerances or requirements, using sighting devices and hand tools.
  • Swage fittings onto cables, using swaging machines.
  • Verify dimensions of cable assemblies or positions of fittings, using measuring instruments.

How that compares

Among the 98 production occupations, aircraft structure rank 4. The group averages 0.8%, and its most exposed job is Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers at 12.1%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 249Nurse Midwives 5.2%
  2. 250Nuclear Medicine Technologists 5.1%
  3. 250Soil and Plant Scientists 5.1%

Just below

  1. 255Airfield Operations Specialists 4.8%
  2. 255Construction and Building Inspectors 4.8%
  3. 255Medical Assistants 4.8%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.