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 Occupational Therapy Assistants? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places occupational therapy assistants 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 +21.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 8,100 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 52/100Higher than 66% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +21.5%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 8,100BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed occupational therapy assistants 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. Occupational Therapy Assistants 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 others4.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Performing general physical activities4.2/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Documenting/recording information4.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repeating the same tasks4.1/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Working with computers4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for occupational therapy assistants
- Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
- Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
- Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
- Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
- Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.
- Attend continuing education classes.
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 +21.5% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 8,100 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 51,290 people work in the job today, at a median of $72,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full occupational therapy assistant profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than occupational therapy assistants
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.
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.
Physical Therapist Aide
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $35,240median a year
- Growth
- +4.0%
- Openings / yr
- 6,400
- Education
- High school
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 55/100
- resilience
Under close supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations.
Questions
Will AI Replace Occupational Therapy Assistants? FAQ
Will AI replace occupational therapy assistants?
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 +21.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 8,100 openings a year.
How exposed are occupational therapy assistants to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Occupational Therapy Assistants 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 occupational therapy assistant'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, repeating the same tasks and working with computers. The parts that hold up best are assisting and caring for others, performing general physical activities and face-to-face discussions. 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 occupational therapy assistant a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, occupational therapy assistants score 52 out of 100, higher than 66% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $72,300 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 occupational therapy assistants are less exposed to AI?
Physical Therapist Assistant (low exposure, $68,380 median), Respiratory Therapist (low exposure, $82,280 median), Physical Therapist Aide (low exposure, $35,240 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than occupational therapy assistants, 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.