Your plumber has a new favorite tool: ChatGPT

Blue-collar industries, such as plumbing and HVAC, are increasingly adopting AI. (Credit: Sefa Ozel/iStockphoto/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

The roughly 20 plumbers of Oak Creek Plumbing & Remodeling in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area don’t just bring toolkits with wrenches, pliers and Teflon tape to customers’ homes these days. They also bring a tablet equipped with the latest version of ChatGPT.

The technology helps those workers automatically create invoices, work proposals and even brainstorm how to address complicated plumbing problems, company president Dan Callies told CNN. All they have to do is take photos of a broken water heater, for example, or write their observations in a prompt, and ChatGPT spits out a list of recommendations.

“It’s definitely been worth the investment,” Callies said. “Some of our older guys have learned to ask ChatGPT the right questions, and they’re kind of amazed with some of answers it comes up with.”

From office work to on-the-ground troubleshooting, blue-collar businesses are increasingly embracing AI to boost productivity, cut down costs and even replace administrative support roles. Some use popular AI software such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, while others use platforms tailored specifically for the trades with AI capabilities, such as ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro.

“It’s affecting both sides of our company, out in the field and internally within our office,” Callies said.

The growing appeal of AI

No humans are involved from when a customer requests services from Gulfshore Air Conditioning & Heating in Niceville, Florida to when a technician arrives at their home, thanks to AI.

And once the technician arrives, they use AI to diagnose the issue and pull up technical information within seconds — a task that used to require sifting through as many as five 60-page manuals, said Krista Landen, the company’s marketing and IT manager.

A survey of more than 400 tradespeople across North America by Housecall Pro earlier this year found that more than 70 per cent of respondents said they have tried AI tools and about 40 per cent said they actively use them. Younger professionals are leading the charge, the survey showed, though older workers are testing the waters, too.

AI’s integration and impact varies by industry, according to the survey; Plumbers were the most likely to say AI has helped their business grow; cleaners were the “biggest adopters of AI”; while electricians had “the highest satisfaction rates” with the technology.

Schools have also taken notice: Jason Altmire, president and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities, a trade association that represents more than 800 private vocational schools across the country, said several institutions are weaving AI into their curriculum in collaboration with employers.

“They want their graduates ready for jobs that are going to be available in the future, not jobs that were here five years ago,” Altmire said.

Still, some tradespeople are skeptical about how the new technology works and how it can be applied to physical tasks.

“There’s some hesitancy, so I wouldn’t say they’re all in,” said Edward McFarlane, chair of the board of directors at the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. “But the tide is definitely coming in.”

The implications of the technology

AI is slowly reshaping the economics of blue-collar America.

Businesses in the trades implementing AI are becoming more productive, allowing them to take on more projects or improve the quality of their services, said Laura Ullrich, an economist at job site Indeed.

“People go into the trades because they like doing the hands-on work itself, and if some of the administrative tasks can be automated, then that should help those workers lean into the parts of the job they like and do smarter work,” she said.

AI has already made a measurable impact on Gulfshore, which saw a US$370,000 increase in revenue 30 days after upgrading to an AI marketing feature that automates campaigns.

The company said it also saw an increase of US$150 in revenue per average ticket after implementing AI tools that helped technicians get through administrative tasks more quickly and allowed them to sell customers additional services or accessories. Landen said the higher revenue, if sustained, should eventually translate into higher compensation for technicians.

“We’ve been using these AI products since June, so we should start to see more of a benefit in order to roll out new compensation packages (for technicians) within the next six months,” she added.

Callies of Oak Plumbing & Remodeling said ChatGPT has allowed the company to “lower our overhead and provide better services or better value.”

AI’s growing adoption in the trades could mean businesses may not need to hire as many office workers for marketing and taking customer calls, economists and business owners tell CNN. That presents those businesses the opportunity to cut down on those costs.

For now, there’s broad agreement that AI is nowhere near taking away the jobs of technicians, at least not until robotic technology significantly advances. It’s mostly proving to be a useful tool for tradespeople.

“All of our technicians are running more efficiently, and they’re less stressed,” Landen said. “I feel like I am a real life Jetson living in the future.”