Laser assisted machining (LAM) takes the advantages of local heating and softening of workpiece by laser beam in front of the cutting tool. The local softening of workpiece at the shear zone enables much easier plastic deformation during machining. This paper reviews the up-to-date progress on LAM of ceramics. It covers the laser beam integration with cutting tools,analysis of temperature distribution around the cutting region,material removal mechanism,tool wear mechanism,and optimization of LAM. The benefit of LAM and its optimization are discussed in terms of material removal temperature.