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AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Pathologists? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places pathologists in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to change by +4.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 300 openings a year.

Short answer

Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.

BLS AI exposure
HighBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
26/100Higher than 17% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+4.8%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
300BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed pathologists 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. Pathologists land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.

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. High · this job190 occupations · 24%
  4. Very high199 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 discussions5.0/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Hands-on work with tools and objects4.3/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.0/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Making decisions and solving problems4.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Processing information4.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Documenting/recording information4.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Repeating the same tasks4.1/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards4.3/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for pathologists

  • Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology.
  • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in pathology.
  • Consult with physicians about ordering and interpreting tests or providing treatments.
  • Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases.
  • Educate physicians, students, and other personnel in medical laboratory professions, such as medical technology, cytotechnology, or histotechnology.
  • Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.

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 +4.8% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 300 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 11,110 people work in the job today, at a median of $312,400 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full pathologist profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than pathologists

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. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $352,220median a year
    Growth
    +5.6%
    Openings / yr
    200
    Education
    Doctorate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects.

  2. Anesthesiologist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $391,490median a year
    Growth
    +3.6%
    Openings / yr
    1,100
    Education
    Doctorate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    50/100
    resilience

    Administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery.

  3. Orthodontist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $289,140median a year
    Growth
    +6.0%
    Openings / yr
    200
    Education
    Doctorate
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    49/100
    resilience

    Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies.

  4. Ophthalmologist, Except Pediatric

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $300,080median a year
    Growth
    +4.5%
    Openings / yr
    200
    Education
    Doctorate
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    47/100
    resilience

    Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and help prevent disorders and diseases of the eye.

  5. Dermatologist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $328,730median a year
    Growth
    +6.8%
    Openings / yr
    400
    Education
    Doctorate
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    42/100
    resilience

    Diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails.

  6. 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.

Will AI replace anesthesiologists?Will AI replace orthodontists?Will AI replace dermatologists?Will AI replace medical and clinical laboratory technologists?

Questions

Will AI Replace Pathologists? FAQ

Will AI replace pathologists?

Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, 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 +4.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 300 openings a year.

How exposed are pathologists to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Pathologists are in the high category, alongside 189 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 pathologist'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, hands-on work with tools and objects 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 pathologist a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, pathologists score 26 out of 100, higher than 17% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $312,400 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 pathologists are less exposed to AI?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (low exposure, $352,220 median), Anesthesiologist (low exposure, $391,490 median), Orthodontist (moderate exposure, $289,140 median), Ophthalmologist, Except Pediatric (moderate exposure, $300,080 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than pathologists, 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.