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Will AI Replace Medical Scientists? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places medical scientists in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +12.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 10,500 openings a year.

Short answer

AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.

BLS AI exposure
Very highBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
24/100Higher than 14% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+12.6%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
10,500BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed medical scientists 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. Medical Scientists land in the very high category: among the occupations most exposed to current AI.

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

  1. Low203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high · this job199 occupations · 25%

Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.

  1. Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  • Face-to-face discussions4.8/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Thinking creatively4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships3.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Making decisions and solving problems4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Processing information4.1/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Documenting/recording information4.1/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Repeating the same tasks4.0/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Working with computers4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for medical scientists

  • Follow strict safety procedures when handling toxic materials to avoid contamination.
  • Write and publish articles in scientific journals.
  • Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings to the scientific audience and general public.
  • Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
  • Evaluate effects of drugs, gases, pesticides, parasites, and microorganisms at various levels.
  • Prepare and analyze organ, tissue, and cell samples to identify toxicity, bacteria, or microorganisms or to study cell structure.

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 +12.6% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 10,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 172,340 people work in the job today, at a median of $103,410 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full medical scientist, except epidemiologists profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than medical scientists

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.

  1. Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $62,930median a year
    Growth
    +2.7%
    Openings / yr
    20,800
    Education
    Bachelor's
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    40/100
    resilience

    Perform complex medical laboratory tests for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

  2. Microbiologist

    Life, Physical, and Social Science

    Median pay
    $87,990median a year
    Growth
    +6.2%
    Openings / yr
    1,500
    Education
    Bachelor's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    29/100
    resilience

    Investigate the growth, structure, development, and other characteristics of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, algae, or fungi.

  3. Clinical Neuropsychologist

    Life, Physical, and Social Science

    Median pay
    $110,840median a year
    Growth
    +2.3%
    Openings / yr
    3,500
    Education
    Master's
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    27/100
    resilience

    Assess and diagnose patients with neurobehavioral problems related to acquired or developmental disorders of the nervous system, such as neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, and lear…

  4. Pathologist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $312,400median a year
    Growth
    +4.8%
    Openings / yr
    300
    Education
    Doctorate
    High
    BLS AI exposure
    26/100
    resilience

    Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids.

Will AI replace medical and clinical laboratory technologists?Will AI replace pathologists?

Questions

Will AI Replace Medical Scientists? FAQ

Will AI replace medical scientists?

AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it 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 +12.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 10,500 openings a year.

How exposed are medical scientists to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Medical Scientists are in the very high category, alongside 198 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 a medical scientist, except epidemiologists's job can AI do?

In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, documenting/recording information and repeating the same tasks. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, thinking creatively 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 a medical scientist, except epidemiologists a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, medical scientists score 24 out of 100, higher than 14% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $103,410 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 medical scientists are less exposed to AI?

Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologist (moderate exposure, $62,930 median), Microbiologist (high exposure, $87,990 median), Clinical Neuropsychologist (high exposure, $110,840 median), Pathologist (high exposure, $312,400 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than medical scientists, 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.