AI exposure Production
Will AI replace welders?
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers. US occupation 51-4121.
The reading
0.0%
of the time welders spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of welders' 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 weldersWhat welders no longer do alone
O*NET lists 30 tasks for welders. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.
What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human
30 of the 30 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.
- Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises.Core task
- Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment.Core task
- Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths.Core task
- Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained.Core task
- Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors.Core task
- Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques.Core task
Show the other 24
- Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information.Core task
- Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications.Core task
- Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools.Core task
- Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces.Core task
- Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required.Core task
- Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment.Core task
- Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material.Core task
- Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits.Core task
- Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools.Core task
- Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter.Core task
- Recognize, set up, and operate hand and power tools common to the welding trade, such as shielded metal arc and gas metal arc welding equipment.Core task
- Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools.Core task
- Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals.Core task
- Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions.Core task
- Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys.Core task
- Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and operations.
- Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments.
- Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal.
- Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits.
- Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment.
- Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears.
- Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces.
- Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work.
- Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies.
How that compares
Among the 98 production occupations, welders rank 96. 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.