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Comment by dgemm | Hacker News Reader

If AI comes for the trades it seems like it will not be via robots but instead by leveling up all of the DIYers and lower skill handyman types allowing them to troubleshoot/build/fix more than they were capable of before.

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If your insurance denies coverage when your DIY repair causes a loss, I think the advantage is overstated. Part of hiring a pro is the knowledge and tools, part of it is shifting the liability to someone insured and bonded.

I know enough building sciences to do most repairs or renovations myself. I still pay for a professional when I don’t want the liability risk (plumbing or electrical in a large multifamily property, for example). A few hundred dollars is always cheaper than my property insurance deductible, or the entire loss of coverage is denied (and property insurers are denying roughly half of annual claims).

The AI labs will pay for insurance as part of cost of doing business.

Until they do, it’s wild speculation. “Prove it.” Most companies cannot get AI insurance for AI use today before considering meat space liability.

AI Runs Into Its Next Big Obstacle: Insurance - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50154288 - October 2026

Who pays when the AI company has declared bankruptcy and problems were only realized after 5 years?

I say never do you own plumbing or electrical and I stand by that. You’ll want to be able to show electrical work was inspected and approved by a master electrician god forbid an insurance event like a fire puts that into question.

> leveling up all of the DIYers

Yep. My brother used ChatGPT to guide his repair of a rusted hole in the driver's side door of his pickup truck.

He never would have tried that repair on his own. Looks good, too.

Trades will be under attack on both fronts. The DIY kits will be used to train the robots. Don’t under estimate how motivated these companies are to embody AI and replace human labor.

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