Will AI replace Home Appliance Repairers?
Estimated risk score: 20 out of 100
Very low replacement risk
Estimate from published task research, not reviewed by a person · how we estimate
Within about 19 points for 4 in 5 of the jobs we checked (1 to 39).
For the occupation as a whole, from ratings of its 31 O*NET tasks published in 2023 and calibrated to our hand scores. A specialty inside it can sit higher or lower.
O*NET-SOC 49-9031.00 · Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Tasks rated in 2023 as ones AI could do or speed up
Tasks a GPT-4-class model could do, or do in half the time or less: 4 of its 31 rated tasks. In O*NET’s words.
- Instruct customers regarding operation and care of appliances, and provide information such as emergency service numbers.
- Record maintenance and repair work performed on appliances.
- Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
- Contact supervisors or offices to receive repair assignments.
Tasks rated in 2023 as not sped up by AI
Tasks such a model was rated as not speeding up or taking over: 24 of its 31 rated tasks; the first 6 are shown. In O*NET’s words.
- Clean and reinstall parts.
- Clean, lubricate, and touch up minor defects on newly installed or repaired appliances.
- Disassemble appliances so that problems can be diagnosed and repairs can be made.
- Install appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and stoves.
- Level refrigerators, adjust doors, and connect water lines to water pipes for ice makers and water dispensers, using hand tools.
- Level washing machines and connect hoses to water pipes, using hand tools.
What the job is
Repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.
Also called: Vacuum Repairer, Appliance Technician (Appliance Tech), CAT, Repair Man, Appliance Tech, Range Mechanic, Stove Mechanic, Stove Installer.
Source. This site includes information from the O*NET 30.1 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. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. (O*NET, CC BY 4.0.) Task ratings: Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock (2023), “GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models”, data used under the MIT licence (licence texts). Our change: we averaged the ratings over this occupation’s tasks and calibrated them to our 0–100 scale. It is not a prediction about any one person and not career advice. Disagree? Write to hello@yourstopwashit.com. How we estimate