AI exposure Production
Will AI replace etchers and engravers?
Etchers and Engravers. US occupation 51-9194.
The reading
0.0%
of the time etchers and engravers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of etchers and engravers' 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 etchers and engraversWhat etchers and engravers no longer do alone
O*NET lists 26 tasks for etchers and engravers. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
26 of the 26 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Clean and polish engraved areas.Core task
- Examine sketches, diagrams, samples, blueprints, or photographs to decide how designs are to be etched, cut, or engraved onto workpieces.Core task
- Inspect etched work for depth of etching, uniformity, and defects, using calibrated microscopes, gauges, fingers, or magnifying lenses.Core task
- Adjust depths and sizes of cuts by adjusting heights of worktables, or by adjusting machine-arm gauges.
- Brush or wipe acid over engraving to darken or highlight inscriptions.
- Determine machine settings, and move bars or levers to reproduce designs on rollers or plates.
Show the other 20
- Engrave and print patterns, designs, etchings, trademarks, or lettering onto flat or curved surfaces of a wide variety of metal, glass, plastic, or paper items, using hand tools or hand-held power tools.
- Examine engraving for quality of cut, burrs, rough spots, and irregular or incomplete engraving.
- Expose workpieces to acid to develop etch patterns such as designs, lettering, or figures.
- Fill etched characters with opaque paste to improve readability.
- Guide stylus over template, causing cutting tool to duplicate design or letters on workpiece.
- Insert cutting tools or bits into machines and secure them with wrenches.
- Measure and compute dimensions of lettering, designs, or patterns to be engraved.
- Neutralize workpieces to remove acid, wax, or enamel, using water, solvents, brushes, or specialized machines.
- Position and clamp workpieces, plates, or rollers in holding fixtures.
- Prepare etching chemicals according to formulas, diluting acid with water to obtain solutions of specified concentration.
- Prepare workpieces for etching or engraving by cutting, sanding, cleaning, polishing, or treating them with wax, acid resist, lime, etching powder, or light-sensitive enamel.
- Print proofs or examine designs to verify accuracy of engraving, and rework engraving as required.
- Remove completed workpieces and place them in trays.
- Remove wax or tape from etched glassware by using a stylus or knife, or by immersing ware in hot water.
- Sandblast exposed areas of glass to cut designs in surfaces, using spray guns.
- Set reduction scales to attain specified sizes of reproduction on workpieces, and set pantograph controls for required heights, depths, and widths of cuts.
- Sketch, trace, or scribe layout lines and designs on workpieces, plates, dies, or rollers, using compasses, scribers, gravers, or pencils.
- Start machines and lower cutting tools to beginning points on patterns.
- Transfer image to workpiece, using contact printer, pantograph stylus, silkscreen printing device, or stamp pad.
- Use computer software to design patterns for engraving.
How that compares
Among the 98 production occupations, etchers and engravers rank 34. 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%.
Level with 0.0%
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.