Short answer
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Athletic Trainers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places athletic trainers in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +12.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 2,400 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 47/100Higher than 54% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +12.7%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 2,400BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed athletic trainers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Athletic Trainers land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Assisting and caring for others4.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Performing general physical activities3.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Documenting/recording information4.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Email4.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Repeating the same tasks3.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Getting information3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for athletic trainers
- Conduct an initial assessment of an athlete's injury or illness to provide emergency or continued care and to determine whether they should be referred to physicians for definitive diagnosis and treatment.
- Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication.
- Evaluate athletes' readiness to play and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted.
- Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports.
- Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, or community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries.
- Apply protective or injury preventive devices, such as tape, bandages, or braces, to body parts, such as ankles, fingers, or wrists.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +12.7% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 2,400 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 30,500 people work in the job today, at a median of $62,520 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full athletic trainer profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than athletic trainers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Paramedic
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $60,600median a year
- Growth
- +5.7%
- Openings / yr
- 4,300
- Education
- Certificate
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 67/100
- resilience
Administer basic or advanced emergency medical care and assess injuries and illnesses.
Surgical Technologist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $64,650median a year
- Growth
- +5.0%
- Openings / yr
- 7,100
- Education
- Certificate
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 65/100
- resilience
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel.
Physical Therapist Assistant
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $68,380median a year
- Growth
- +23.0%
- Openings / yr
- 18,500
- Education
- Associate's
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 60/100
- resilience
Assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures.
Respiratory Therapist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $82,280median a year
- Growth
- +8.5%
- Openings / yr
- 8,600
- Education
- Associate's
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 56/100
- resilience
Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders.
Nurse Anesthetist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $236,590median a year
- Growth
- +9.7%
- Openings / yr
- 2,400
- Education
- Master's
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 55/100
- resilience
Administer anesthesia, monitor patient's vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia.
Dental Hygienist
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $98,100median a year
- Growth
- +8.0%
- Openings / yr
- 15,000
- Education
- Associate's
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 53/100
- resilience
Administer oral hygiene care to patients.
Questions
Will AI Replace Athletic Trainers? FAQ
Will AI replace athletic trainers?
Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +12.7% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 2,400 openings a year.
How exposed are athletic trainers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Athletic Trainers are in the moderate category, alongside 193 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of an athletic trainer's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are documenting/recording information, email and repeating the same tasks. The parts that hold up best are assisting and caring for others, face-to-face discussions and establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being an athletic trainer a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, athletic trainers score 47 out of 100, higher than 54% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $62,520 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to athletic trainers are less exposed to AI?
Paramedic (low exposure, $60,600 median), Surgical Technologist (low exposure, $64,650 median), Physical Therapist Assistant (low exposure, $68,380 median), Respiratory Therapist (low exposure, $82,280 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than athletic trainers, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.