Glaziers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 3% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 97% of the time, stays with people.
Install glass in windows, skylights, store fronts, and display cases, or on surfaces, such as building fronts, interior walls, ceilings, and tabletops.
58,480 people do this job in the US. $57,080 a year.
Reviewed on October 18, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on0 h
- A person checks AI's work1 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people39 h
Glaziers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 0 hours, 1 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 39 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Read blueprints for the job (under an hour, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 3%
- 0%
- 0%
- 4%
- 92%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 3% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 27 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.0089% to 0.0049% (released February and March 2025); 0.0032% to 0.012% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.0089% | 543 of 708 | 2 of 27 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.0049% | 585 of 703 | 2 of 27 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.0032% | 582 of 655 | 1 of 27 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.002% | 644 of 672 | 1 of 27 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.012% | 466 of 677 | 1 of 27 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 27 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 27 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 90% of this job's working time as physical work. For 82% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 75% in a purpose-built cell, 5% in a structured facility, 3% in any setting. 0.92 of 3, the 163rd highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 10%
- No robot shown 8%
- In a purpose-built cell 75%
- In a structured facility 5%
- In any setting 3%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
96% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Fabricate and fit metal sashes, the hands-on work, 12%
- Cut and install glass, the hands-on work, 11%
- Install window frameworks, the hands-on work, 9%
- Hang glass doors, the hands-on work, 6%
- Drive to sites and unload, the hands-on work, 6%
- Assemble stained glass, the hands-on work, 6%
What becomes checking the machine
2% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it.
- Read blueprints for the job, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 92% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Judgment where errors are severe. Some tasks are severe if wrong. Knowing when not to trust an output matters more there than speed.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check or sign: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 27 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabricate or install metal sashes or moldings for glass installation, using aluminum or steel framing.Cutting and fitting aluminum or steel framing.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, RhinoFab 900 Automated Extrusion Fabrication Center (Rhino Machine / Glaziers Center) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 12% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Cut, fit, install, repair, or replace glass or glass substitutes, such as plastic or aluminum, in building interiors or exteriors or in furniture or other products.Cutting and fitting glass in buildings and furniture.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, TECAUMA robotic glazing cell on opening sash (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 11% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Install pre-assembled metal or wood frameworks for windows or doors to be fitted with glass panels, using hand tools.Setting the frames into the opening with hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Bluewrist EzRG robot-guidance system with LMI Gocator 3D sensors on a six-axis windshield-insertion robot (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 9% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Set glass doors into frames and bolt metal hinges, handles, locks, or other hardware to attach doors to frames and walls.Setting the door and bolting on the hardware.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Risong Technology flexible intelligent door/hood/lid assembly line (Changan Mazda) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Drive trucks to installation sites and unload mirrors, glass equipment, or tools.Driving the truck to the site and unloading the glass.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, LiSEC robot handling (RHV-A) glass loading/unloading robot (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Assemble and cement sections of stained glass together.Fitting and cementing the sections together by hand.Done yearly or less by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Cut, assemble, fit, or attach metal-framed glass enclosures for showers, bathtubs, display cases, skylights, solariums, or other structures.Cutting, fitting and fixing shower and display enclosures.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Lauber automated window line (Berchtold machines, H.B. Fuller | Kömmerling direct glazing, profine profiles) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 2.1 h50 min to 5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Read and interpret blueprints or specifications to determine size, shape, color, type, or thickness of glass, location of framing, installation procedures, or staging or scaffolding materials required.Reading the drawings to know what to cut and install; the knowing is the glazier's own.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | Documents 50%, in person 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Pack spaces between moldings and glass with glazing compounds and trim excess material with glazing knives.Pressing compound into the gaps and trimming it with a knife.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Forel SR NL Automatic Sealing Robot for Insulating Glass (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Load and arrange glass or mirrors onto delivery trucks, using suction cups or cranes to lift glass.Lifting and arranging sheets on the truck with cups or a crane.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, QComp harp rack loading/unloading robotic cells (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Fasten glass panes into wood sashes or frames with clips, points, or moldings, adding weather seals or putty around pane edges to seal joints.Fixing panes into sashes with points and sealing the edges.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, TECAUMA Robotic glazing cell on opening sash (REF 004) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Cut and attach mounting strips, metal or wood moldings, rubber gaskets, or metal clips to surfaces in preparation for mirror installation.Cutting and fixing the strips and moldings to the wall.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, WEINMANN WALLTEQ M-300 / M-500 multifunction bridge (HOMAG / WEINMANN Holzbausystemtechnik) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 33 min17 min to 1.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Glaziers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 3% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 3% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Glaziers come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Read blueprints for the job (50% of the task's time now); Select glass to specification (50% of the task's time now); and Confer with customers on the job (20% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Glaziers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Fabricate and fit metal sashes; Cut and install glass; and Install window frameworks. Together such tasks are about 92% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Glaziers learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the hands-on craft; judgment where errors are severe; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 96% of the working time stays with people, 2% becomes checking a model's work and 0% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Glaziers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Glaziers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 90% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 82% of the working time, 3% in any setting. Its index is 0.92 of 3. One example: Boston Dynamics Spot + Trimble X7 scanner / FieldLink for "check walls for plumb". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 27 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on October 18, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.
Your own version of this job
The page above is the occupation. Your job is your title and what you actually do: give both, and they are read against these tasks in your browser, nothing sent anywhere. The headline is free: how much of your working time is within reach now and by the end of 2028, and how many of the tasks your description names.
The full personal report is $19, to print or save as a PDF: every task with when it comes within reach, which ones your description names, the parts of your description the task list does not cover, what stays with you, what becomes checking the machine and what to learn.