Boilermakers

Task by task

Each task this job involves, as listed by O*NET, rated on whether a large language model like GPT-4 could cut the time it takes by at least half at the same quality. Tasks marked Seen in real AI use appeared in conversations with Claude in April–May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index).

• AI can speed this up on its own: 0 (0%)
• AI can speed this up with extra software: 1 (6%)
• Little or no AI speed-up: 16 (94%)

• Study blueprints to determine locations, relationships, or dimensions of parts.AI can speed this up with extra software · core task
• Attach rigging and signal crane or hoist operators to lift heavy frame and plate sections or other parts into place.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• 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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Locate and mark reference points for columns or plates on boiler foundations, following blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits, or measuring instruments.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Bolt or arc weld pressure vessel structures and parts together, using wrenches or welding equipment.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Position, align, and secure structural parts or related assemblies to boiler frames, tanks, or vats of pressure vessels, following blueprints.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Install manholes, handholes, taps, tubes, valves, gauges, or feedwater connections in drums of water tube boilers, using hand tools.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• 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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Assemble large vessels in an on-site fabrication shop prior to installation to ensure proper fit.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• 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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Examine boilers, pressure vessels, tanks, or vats to locate defects, such as leaks, weak spots, or defective sections, so that they can be repaired.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• 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.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Inspect assembled vessels or individual components, such as tubes, fittings, valves, controls, or auxiliary mechanisms, to locate any defects.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Straighten or reshape bent pressure vessel plates or structure parts, using hammers, jacks, or torches.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Install refractory bricks or other heat-resistant materials in fireboxes of pressure vessels.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Clean pressure vessel equipment, using scrapers, wire brushes, and cleaning solvents.Little or no AI speed-up · core task
• Bell, bead with power hammers, or weld pressure vessel tube ends to ensure leakproof joints.Little or no AI speed-up · supplemental task

Questions about boilermakers and AI