AI exposure Installation, maintenance and repair
Will AI replace commercial divers?
Commercial Divers. US occupation 49-9092.
The reading
0.0%
of the time commercial divers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of commercial divers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.
Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.
Per cent of working time Square-law scale
Average US job 7.7%
Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.
What AI already does for commercial diversWhat commercial divers no longer do alone
O*NET lists 24 tasks for commercial divers. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
24 of the 24 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Carry out non-destructive testing, such as tests for cracks on the legs of oil rigs at sea.Core task
- Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.Core task
- Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.Core task
- Cut and weld steel, using underwater welding equipment, jigs, and supports.Core task
- Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.Core task
- Inspect and test docks, ships, buoyage systems, plant intakes or outflows, or underwater pipelines, cables, or sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.Core task
Show the other 18
- Inspect the condition of underwater steel or wood structures.Core task
- Install pilings or footings for piers or bridges.Core task
- Install, inspect, clean, or repair piping or valves.Core task
- Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.Core task
- Operate underwater video, sonar, recording, or related equipment to investigate underwater structures or marine life.Core task
- Perform activities related to underwater search and rescue, salvage, recovery, or cleanup operations.Core task
- Recover objects by placing rigging around sunken objects, hooking rigging to crane lines, and operating winches, derricks, or cranes to raise objects.Core task
- Remove obstructions from strainers or marine railway or launching ways, using pneumatic or power hand tools.Core task
- Repair ships, bridge foundations, or other structures below the water line, using caulk, bolts, and hand tools.Core task
- Salvage wrecked ships or their cargo, using pneumatic power velocity and hydraulic tools and explosive charges, when necessary.Core task
- Set or guide placement of pilings or sandbags to provide support for structures, such as docks, bridges, cofferdams, or platforms.Core task
- Supervise or train other divers, including hobby divers.Core task
- Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.Core task
- Take test samples or photographs to assess the condition of vessels or structures.Core task
- Cultivate or harvest marine species or perform routine work on fish farms.
- Drill holes in rock and rig explosives for underwater demolitions.
- Perform offshore oil or gas exploration or extraction duties, such as conducting underwater surveys or repairing and maintaining drilling rigs or platforms.
- Remove rubbish or pollution from the sea.
How that compares
Among the 50 installation, maintenance and repair occupations, commercial divers rank 17. The group averages 0.7%, and its most exposed job is Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers at 10.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.
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.