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How exposed to AI is a Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazer?

Of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers, 0 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 28 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Assembly Line BrazerBrazerFabrication WelderMaintenance WelderMIG Welder (Metal Inert Gas Welder)SoldererTIG Welder (Tungsten Inert Gas Welder)WelderWelder FitterWirer
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
30
tasks rated for this occupation
1%
hold a degree, from a survey of 43
398k
people do this job in the US
78 of 107
least protected in production

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Only with software built on top

2
  • Select and install torches, torch tips, filler rods, and flux, according to welding chart specifications or types and thicknesses of metals
  • Develop templates and models for welding projects, using mathematical calculations based on blueprint information

Cannot be sped up

28
  • Operate safety equipment and use safe work habits
  • Examine workpieces for defects and measure workpieces with straightedges or templates to ensure conformance with specifications
  • Weld components in flat, vertical, or overhead positions
  • Detect faulty operation of equipment or defective materials and notify supervisors
  • 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
  • Mark or tag material with proper job number, piece marks, and other identifying marks as required
  • Determine required equipment and welding methods, applying knowledge of metallurgy, geometry, and welding techniques
  • Prepare all material surfaces to be welded, ensuring that there is no loose or thick scale, slag, rust, moisture, grease, or other foreign matter
  • Align and clamp workpieces together, using rules, squares, or hand tools, or position items in fixtures, jigs, or vises
  • Connect and turn regulator valves to activate and adjust gas flow and pressure so that desired flames are obtained
  • Position and secure workpieces, using hoists, cranes, wire, and banding machines or hand tools
  • Melt and apply solder along adjoining edges of workpieces to solder joints, using soldering irons, gas torches, or electric-ultrasonic equipment
  • Monitor the fitting, burning, and welding processes to avoid overheating of parts or warping, shrinking, distortion, or expansion of material
  • Grind, cut, buff, or bend edges of workpieces to be joined to ensure snug fit, using power grinders and hand tools
  • Weld separately or in combination, using aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, and other alloys
  • Chip or grind off excess weld, slag, or spatter, using hand scrapers or power chippers, portable grinders, or arc-cutting equipment
  • Repair products by dismantling, straightening, reshaping, and reassembling parts, using cutting torches, straightening presses, and hand tools
  • Clean or degrease parts, using wire brushes, portable grinders, or chemical baths
  • Hammer out bulges or bends in metal workpieces
  • Check grooves, angles, or gap allowances, using micrometers, calipers, and precision measuring instruments
  • Melt and apply solder to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products, using soldering equipment
  • Ignite torches or start power supplies and strike arcs by touching electrodes to metals being welded, completing electrical circuits
  • Guide and direct flames or electrodes on or across workpieces to straighten, bend, melt, or build up metal
  • Use fire suppression methods in industrial emergencies
  • Preheat workpieces prior to welding or bending, using torches or heating furnaces
  • Set up and use ladders and scaffolding as necessary to complete work
  • Operate metal shaping, straightening, and bending machines, such as brakes and shears
  • Analyze engineering drawings, blueprints, specifications, sketches, work orders, and material safety data sheets to plan layout, assembly, and operations
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.