Will AI replace Boilermakers?

AI can do 0% of the work Boilermakers do at least twice as fast. None of their 17 tasks show real AI use yet. Robots can technically handle 14 physical tasks. 3 still need a person.

AI is already doing this0 · 0% of time

People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.

  • Real AI use has not reached any of this job's tasks yet.

AI could do this next0 · 0% of time

AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.

  • No other tasks in this job can be sped up by AI today.

Robots can technically do this14 · 82% of time

Physical tasks that today's robots can perform in at least some settings. Robots are cost competitive for very few tasks so far, so this change moves slower.

  • Bolt or arc weld pressure vessel structures and parts together, using wrenches or welding equipment.Robots: purpose built settings14% of time
  • Repair or replace defective pressure vessel parts, such as safety valves or regulators, using torches, jacks, caulking hammers, power saws, threading dies, welding equipment, or metalworking machinery.Robots: purpose built settings11% of time
  • Attach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place.Robots: purpose built settings10% of time
  • Shape seams, joints, or irregular edges of pressure vessel sections or structural parts to attain specified fit of parts, using cutting torches, hammers, files, or metalworking machines.Robots: purpose built settings7% of time
  • Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.Robots: structured workplaces6% of time
  • Install manholes, handholes, taps, tubes, valves, gauges, or feedwater connections in drums of water tube boilers, using hand tools.Robots: purpose built settings6% of time
  • Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.Robots: purpose built settings5% of time
  • Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.Robots: purpose built settings5% of time
  • Lay out plate, sheet steel, or other heavy metal and locate and mark bending and cutting lines, using protractors, compasses, and drawing instruments or templates.Robots: purpose built settings4% of time
  • Shape or fabricate parts, such as stacks, uptakes, or chutes, to adapt pressure vessels, heat exchangers, or piping to premises, using heavy-metalworking machines such as brakes, rolls, or drill presses.Robots: purpose built settings4% of time
  • Clean pressure vessel equipment, using scrapers, wire brushes, and cleaning solvents.Robots: purpose built settings4% of time
  • Straighten or reshape bent pressure vessel plates or structure parts, using hammers, jacks, or torches.Robots: purpose built settings2% of time
  • Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.Robots: purpose built settings2% of time
  • Assemble large vessels in an on-site fabrication shop prior to installation to ensure proper fit.Robots: purpose built settings2% of time

Still needs a person3 · 18% of time

No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.

  • Position, align, and secure structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks, or vats of pressure vessels, following blueprints.10% of time
  • Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.6% of time
  • Install refractory bricks or other heat-resistant materials in fireboxes of pressure vessels.2% of time

Your week is not the average

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What this means

Little of this work suits AI. The bigger change here is robots: today's robots can technically do 82% of the working time, though they are rarely cheap enough to replace people yet.

What to do next

  • Keep an eye on the 14 physical tasks robots can technically do. Cost keeps most robots out of work today, so this shift is slower.
  • Build on the 3 tasks that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
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