AI exposure Installation, maintenance and repair
Will AI replace electrical power-line installers and repairers?
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers. US occupation 49-9051.
The reading
0.0%
of the time electrical power-line installers and repairers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of electrical power-line installers and repairers' 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 electrical power-line installers and repairersWhat electrical power-line installers and repairers no longer do alone
O*NET lists 23 tasks for electrical power-line installers and repairers. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
23 of the 23 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas.Core task
- Attach cross-arms, insulators, and auxiliary equipment to poles prior to installing them.Core task
- Climb poles or use truck-mounted buckets to access equipment.Core task
- Coordinate work assignment preparation and completion with other workers.Core task
- Cut and peel lead sheathing and insulation from defective or newly installed cables and conduits prior to splicing.Core task
- Cut trenches for laying underground cables, using trenchers and cable plows.Core task
Show the other 17
- Dig holes, using augers, and set poles, using cranes and power equipment.Core task
- Drive vehicles equipped with tools and materials to job sites.Core task
- Identify defective sectionalizing devices, circuit breakers, fuses, voltage regulators, transformers, switches, relays, or wiring, using wiring diagrams and electrical-testing instruments.Core task
- Inspect and test power lines and auxiliary equipment to locate and identify problems, using reading and testing instruments.Core task
- Install watt-hour meters and connect service drops between power lines and consumers' facilities.Core task
- Install, maintain, and repair electrical distribution and transmission systems, including conduits, cables, wires, and related equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, and switches.Core task
- Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduit running through the trenches.Core task
- Open switches or attach grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or to facilitate repairs.Core task
- Place insulating or fireproofing materials over conductors and joints.Core task
- Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks.Core task
- Replace or straighten damaged poles.Core task
- Splice or solder cables together or to overhead transmission lines, customer service lines, or street light lines, using hand tools, epoxies, or specialized equipment.Core task
- String wire conductors and cables between poles, towers, trenches, pylons, and buildings, setting lines in place and using winches to adjust tension.Core task
- Test conductors, according to electrical diagrams and specifications, to identify corresponding conductors and to prevent incorrect connections.Core task
- Travel in trucks, helicopters, and airplanes to inspect lines for freedom from obstruction and adequacy of insulation.Core task
- Trim trees that could be hazardous to the functioning of cables or wires.Core task
- Clean, tin, and splice corresponding conductors by twisting ends together or by joining ends with metal clamps and soldering connections.
How that compares
Among the 50 installation, maintenance and repair occupations, electrical power-line installers and repairers rank 23. 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.