Factories have used robots and automation for decades, and they keep taking on more delicate work. Generative AI is a different tool: it helps with instructions, quality reports and planning more than with assembly itself.
The short answer: automation is slowing factory hiring, but generative AI is not the main reason. The ILO's 2025 index rates assemblers as minimal exposure to generative AI, with scores from 0.27 to 0.32. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 1 percent growth for assemblers and fabricators from 2025 to 2035, with about 177,500 openings a year. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed factory workers are
The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO category | Mean task score (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Assemblers Not Elsewhere Classified | Minimal exposure | 0.32 |
| Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers | Minimal exposure | 0.28 |
| Mechanical Machinery Assemblers | Minimal exposure | 0.27 |
| Metal Working Machine Tool Setters and Operators | Not exposed | 0.18 |
The ILO index measures generative AI, not industrial robots, which affect factory work more.
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Assemblers and fabricators | Grow 1% | About 177,500 |
The BLS says improved processes, tools and automation will reduce job growth, and that advances in robotics let machines do more complex and delicate tasks. It also notes that electrical and electronic assemblers work in fast-growing industries such as electric vehicle batteries, energy storage and semiconductors.
What automation and AI are taking on
- Repetitive assembly, welding and handling done by robots.
- Visual inspection with cameras that flag defects.
- Production planning and maintenance forecasts.
- Work instructions and shift reports.
What stays with the factory worker
- Assembly: reading schematics and blueprints, positioning parts and assembling with hand tools or machines.
- Quality: quality control checks and catching what the camera missed.
- Machines: setting up, running, cleaning and maintaining equipment.
- Checking AI help: instructions and defect flags can be confidently wrong, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.
How the job is changing
Factory roles are shifting from doing every step by hand to running, checking and maintaining automated lines. Workers with machine setup, maintenance and quality skills, and those in growing industries such as batteries and semiconductors, tend to have more options.
See also will AI replace welders?, will AI replace engineers?, will AI replace warehouse workers? and jobs safe from AI
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for assemblers and fabricators at $45,450 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: high school diploma or equivalent. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace factory workers?
Not on current evidence. The ILO rates assemblers minimal exposure to generative AI, and the BLS projects 1 percent growth for assemblers and fabricators from 2025 to 2035, slowed by robotics.
Are robots replacing factory jobs?
The BLS says automation and robotics will reduce job growth, while growing industries such as batteries and semiconductors add demand.
How many factory assembler openings are expected?
The BLS projects about 177,500 openings a year for assemblers and fabricators.
What factory work stays human?
Reading plans, assembling and fitting parts, quality checks, running and maintaining machines and checking automated output.