Will AI replace Robotics Engineers?
AI can do 68% of the work Robotics Engineers do at least twice as fast. People already use it for 4 of their 24 tasks, while 14 more are ready but barely used so far. 6 still need a person.
AI is already doing this4 · 26% of time
People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.
- Design software to control robotic systems for applications, such as military defense or manufacturing.Mostly automated9% of time
- Debug robotics programs.Mostly automated7% of time
- Provide technical support for robotic systems.Mostly automated5% of time
- Document robotic application development, maintenance, or changes.Mostly automated5% of time
AI could do this next14 · 42% of time
AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.
- Evaluate robotic systems or prototypes.6% of time
- Integrate robotics with peripherals, such as welders, controllers, or other equipment.5% of time
- Review or approve designs, calculations, or cost estimates.5% of time
- Process or interpret signals or sensor data.5% of time
- Write algorithms or programming code for ad hoc robotic applications.4% of time
- Plan mobile robot paths and teach path plans to robots.4% of time
- Conduct research on robotic technology to create new robotic systems or system capabilities.4% of time
- Conduct research into the feasibility, design, operation, or performance of robotic mechanisms, components, or systems, such as planetary rovers, multiple mobile robots, reconfigurable robots, or man-machine interactions.2% of time
- Design automated robotic systems to increase production volume or precision in high-throughput operations, such as automated ribonucleic acid (RNA) analysis or sorting, moving, or stacking production materials.2% of time
- Make system device lists or event timing charts.1% of time
- Create back-ups of robot programs or parameters.1% of time
- Automate assays on laboratory robotics.1% of time
- Design robotics applications for manufacturers of green products, such as wind turbines or solar panels, to increase production time, eliminate waste, or reduce costs.1% of time
- Design or program robotics systems for environmental clean-up applications to minimize human exposure to toxic or hazardous materials or to improve the quality or speed of clean-up operations.under 1% of time
Still needs a person6 · 32% 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.
- Build, configure, or test robots or robotic applications.10% of time
- Design robotic systems, such as automatic vehicle control, autonomous vehicles, advanced displays, advanced sensing, robotic platforms, computer vision, or telematics systems.9% of time
- Supervise technologists, technicians, or other engineers.4% of time
- Investigate mechanical failures or unexpected maintenance problems.4% of time
- Install, calibrate, operate, or maintain robots.4% of time
- Design end-of-arm tooling.2% of time
Your week is not the average
Describe what you actually do and get a personal report: your own tasks, what AI can already do, what stays yours and a 90 day plan.
What this means
AI can do most of this work faster, but a real part of the job still needs a person. Real use is still behind at 24 out of 100, so the change here is only getting started. The people who learn which tasks to hand off will pull ahead.
What to do next
- Do the 4 tasks AI is already handling with AI yourself. Your peers already are, and it is quickly becoming the baseline.
- Get ahead on the 14 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
- Build on the 6 tasks that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
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