# When AI and robots work together, Anthropic says these jobs are at risk. Should gardeners worry? > Source: > Published: 2026-10-17 14:00:01+00:00 # When AI and robots work together, Anthropic says these jobs are at risk. Should gardeners worry? [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com) Anthropic's robotics research puts more hands-on jobs in AI's path. But messy tasks such as gardening remain hard to automate. - [Anthropic](https://www.machinebrief.com/glossary/anthropic) examined what might happen when AI and robots are combined. - That could put more hands-on jobs, including gardening, in the path of automation, Anthropic warned. - I'm skeptical that robots can handle the messy reality of pulling weeds. Remember when [Anthropic's AI jobs report](https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-is-tracking-the-jobs-most-exposed-to-ai-disruption-2026-3) suggested gardeners were among the safest workers because AI couldn't pull weeds or tell a rose from a dandelion? I joked about that in [AI Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/category/ai-insider) earlier this year. Well, Anthropic [updated the research](https://www.anthropic.com/research/what-work-can-robots-do) to freak us all out a bit more. This time it asks a bigger question: What happens when you combine AI with robots? That change pushes many hands-on jobs much higher on the disruption scale. On paper, it makes sense. In practice, I'm skeptical. For instance, anyone who's spent time working in a garden knows how hard it is to identify the right plant, kneel in awkward spots, and pull a weed out properly by the roots without damaging everything around it. Robots are improving. But if you've ever watched one tackle a messy real-world task, you'll know there's a long road between a research chart and reality. The chart below illustrates how adding robots could change job-task exposure across selected job categories. Cleaning & maintenance includes gardeners along with janitors and similar roles. [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-ai-robots-gardening-jobs-automation-2026-10) Get AI news in your inbox Daily digest of what matters in AI.