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AI exposure Installation, maintenance and repair

Will AI replace telecommunications line installers and repairers?

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers. US occupation 49-9052.

0.0%

of the time telecommunications line installers and repairers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of telecommunications 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.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for telecommunications line installers and repairersWhat telecommunications line installers and repairers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 19 tasks for telecommunications line installers and repairers. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

19 of the 19 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.Core task
  • Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.Core task
  • Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.Core task
  • Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches.Core task
  • Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches.Core task
  • Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks.Core task
Show the other 13
  • Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.Core task
  • Compute impedance of wires from poles to houses to determine additional resistance needed for reducing signals to desired levels.
  • Dig holes for power poles, using power augers or shovels, set poles in place with cranes, and hoist poles upright, using winches.
  • Dig trenches for underground wires or cables.
  • Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due.
  • Fill and tamp holes, using cement, earth, and tamping devices.
  • Install equipment such as amplifiers or repeaters to maintain the strength of communications transmissions.
  • Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment.
  • Participate in the construction or removal of telecommunication towers or associated support structures.
  • Place insulation over conductors, or seal splices with moisture-proof covering.
  • String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension.
  • Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories.
  • Use a variety of construction equipment to complete installations, such as digger derricks, trenchers, or cable plows.

How that compares

Among the 50 installation, maintenance and repair occupations, telecommunications line installers and repairers rank 47. 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%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders 0.0%
  2. 346Tapers 0.0%
  3. 346Taxi Drivers 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.