Will AI replace non-destructive testing technicians?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 27% of the working time in a typical non-destructive testing technician job today. The other 73% still needs a person.

73% of the work still needs a person.

Needs a person: 73%A person checking AI: 12%AI alone: 15%

The bracket under the bar is the evidence range for the share AI could take on: 23 to 27%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry.

15 responsibilities in a typical non-destructive testing technician job. Median pay $78,350 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Inspect large structures on site
  • Find defects with ultrasonic testing
  • Make x-ray images of parts
  • Judge test results against codes and standards AI helps
  • Check parts visually with cameras and scopes
  • Set up and run test equipment

AI can do or help with

  • Judge test results against codes and standards AI helps
  • Interpret results across NDT methods AI helps
  • Write up test methods and procedures AI helps
  • Write up inspection reports AI helps
  • Measure material properties with meters AI helps

The biggest responsibilities on each side, ranked by a person's time on the left. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces, so one can show on both sides. See all 15, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace non-destructive testing technicians?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 27% of the working time in a typical non-destructive testing technician job today. The other 73% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.

Which parts of the job can AI do?

The biggest ones AI can do or help with: judge test results against codes and standards, interpret results across NDT methods, write up test methods and procedures, write up inspection reports, measure material properties with meters.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: inspect large structures on site, find defects with ultrasonic testing, make x-ray images of parts, judge test results against codes and standards, check parts visually with cameras and scopes, set up and run test equipment.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 16 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0), and the split covers the 15 people in it do today. Each is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. The evidence range for the share AI could take on is 23 to 27%. One end comes from how well AI did each responsibility in real use, or a second rating where that isn't measured. The other is our figure, which also follows research across the industry. Scores version 0.7.17, updated October 28, 2026.

Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.

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