Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 4% 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 96% of the time, stays with people.
Install, program, maintain, and repair security and fire alarm wiring and equipment. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes.
86,340 people do this job in the US. $60,070 a year.
Reviewed on October 1, 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
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers, 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: Inspect sites and study plans (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%
- 1%
- 0%
- 3%
- 93%
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 4% 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: 4%.
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, 0.032% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 284th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 16 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.034% to 0.03% (released February and March 2025); 0.008% to 0.015% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.034% to 0.032% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.034% | 342 of 708 | 4 of 16 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.03% | 362 of 703 | 3 of 16 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.008% | 479 of 655 | 2 of 16 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.0095% | 486 of 672 | 2 of 16 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.015% | 434 of 677 | 2 of 16 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.034% | 277 of 434 | 1 of 16 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.032% | 284 of 447 | 1 of 16 |
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 84% of this job's working time as physical work. For 54% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 54% in a purpose-built cell. 0.54 of 3, the 297th highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 16%
- No robot shown 29%
- In a purpose-built cell 54%
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.
- Install and repair alarm systems, the hands-on work, 24%
- Run and terminate cables, the hands-on work, 21%
- Mount panels, sensors and cameras, the hands-on work, 16%
- Test and repair circuits, the hands-on work, 13%
- Find faults in systems, the hands-on work, 6%
- Mount raceways and fasten wires, the hands-on work, 4%
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. Another 1% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Inspect sites and study plans, costly if wrong, 2%
What to learn
- The hands-on craft. About 93% of the time is hands-on work, which no model here does; robots are rated separately on this page.
- Signing off under your license. Some tasks need a licensed, certified or sworn person to do or sign them. The license, and the judgment it stands for, stays with the person.
- 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 . 16 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Install, maintain, or repair security systems, alarm devices, or related equipment, following blueprints of electrical layouts and building plans.Hands-on installation and repair from the plans.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 24% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Feed cables through access holes, roof spaces, or cavity walls to reach fixture outlets, positioning and terminating cables, wires, or strapping.Pulling cable through the building and terminating it.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Averex robotic wiring centre (Kiesling Maschinentechnik) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 21% | 2.5 h50 min to 4.2 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Mount and fasten control panels, door and window contacts, sensors, or video cameras, and attach electrical and telephone wiring to connect components.Fixing the components in place and wiring them.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Averex robotic wiring centre (Kiesling Maschinentechnik / Rittal) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 16% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Test and repair circuits and sensors, following wiring and system specifications.Repairs to circuits and sensors by hand.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Cell Doctor (AIMEN / SINTEF) (demonstrated). Anthropic's rating. | 13% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Examine systems to locate problems, such as loose connections or broken insulation.Checking connections and wiring on site to find the fault.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, SPEA 4080 / SPEA Flying Probe Test series with Board Handling Equipment (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Mount raceways and conduits and fasten wires to wood framing, using staplers.Fastening conduit and wire to the framing.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Inspect installation sites and study work orders, building plans, and installation manuals to determine materials requirements and installation procedures.Looking the site over and reading the plans and manuals; the knowing is the installer's own.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Documents 50%, hands-on 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Test backup batteries, keypad programming, sirens, or other security features to ensure proper functioning or to diagnose malfunctions.Testing the batteries, keypads and sirens on site.Done more than weekly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, SPEA T100 flying-actuator optomechatronics tester / keyboard and push-button test systems (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Drill holes for wiring in wall studs, joists, ceilings, or floors.Drilling through studs and joists.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, WBS-160 beam center (Blueprint Robotics wall line) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Adjust sensitivity of units, based on room structures and manufacturers' recommendations, using programming keypads.Programming the units at the keypad on site.Done daily by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, MATT (Smart Device Test Automation Robot) (Adapta Robotics) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 2% | 25 min13 min to 1.1 h | Hands-on 100% | Stays with people |
| Consult with clients to assess risks and to determine security requirements.Walking the premises with the client and writing up what is needed.Done daily by most who do it. | 1% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | In person 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Demonstrate systems for customers and explain details, such as the causes and consequences of false alarms.Showing the customer the system in their building.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 1% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 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.
- Lighting Technicians12% now, 12% by 2028
- Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles9% now, 9% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment8% now, 8% by 2028
- Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers13% now, 13% by 2028
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment26% now, 32% by 2028
- Electricians12% now, 12% by 2028
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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 4% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 4% 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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers 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: Inspect sites and study plans (50% of the task's time now); Keep up with new products (50% of the task's time now); and Give installation estimates (70% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Install and repair alarm systems; Run and terminate cables; and Mount panels, sensors and cameras. Together such tasks are about 93% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers 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; signing off under your license; and judgment where errors are severe. 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 1% 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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.032% went to this job's tasks, the 284th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 16 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 3%. 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 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 84% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 54% of the working time. Its index is 0.54 of 3. One example: Averex robotic wiring centre for "run and terminate cables". 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 16 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 1, 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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