---
title: "Will AI Replace Pediatricians? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates pediatricians' exposure to AI as high. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (+1.5% projected)."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-pediatricians"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Pediatricians? (2026)

**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.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places pediatricians 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 +1.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 1,000 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | High | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 43/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +1.5% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 1,000 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $210,040 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High (this job) | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Assisting and caring for others: 5.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships: 4.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Performing for or working directly with the public: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Face-to-face discussions: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)

## What AI reaches first

- Documenting/recording information: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Processing information: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Getting information: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Working with computers: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- Treat children who have minor illnesses, acute and chronic health problems, and growth and development concerns.
- Examine patients or order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests to obtain information on medical condition and determine diagnosis.
- Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients and parents or guardians.
- Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioner when necessary.
- Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury in infants and children.
- Examine children regularly to assess their growth and development.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than pediatricians

- [Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/oral-and-maxillofacial-surgeon): BLS exposure Low, median $352,220
- [Nurse Anesthetist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/nurse-anesthetist): BLS exposure Low, median $236,590; [Will AI replace nurse anesthetists?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-nurse-anesthetists)
- [Anesthesiologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/anesthesiologist): BLS exposure Low, median $391,490; [Will AI replace anesthesiologists?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-anesthesiologists)
- [Dentist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/dentist): BLS exposure Moderate, median $170,950; [Will AI replace dentists?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-dentists)
- [Orthodontist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/orthodontist): BLS exposure Moderate, median $289,140; [Will AI replace orthodontists?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-orthodontists)
- [Ophthalmologist, Except Pediatric](https://nuecareer.com/careers/ophthalmologist): BLS exposure Moderate, median $300,080

## FAQ

**Will AI replace pediatricians?**

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. 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 +1.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 1,000 openings a year.

**How exposed are pediatricians to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Pediatricians 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 pediatrician, general'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, processing information and getting information. The parts that hold up best are assisting and caring for others, establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships and performing for or working directly with the public. 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 pediatrician, general a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, pediatricians score 43 out of 100, higher than 47% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $210,040 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 pediatricians are less exposed to AI?**

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (low exposure, $352,220 median), Nurse Anesthetist (low exposure, $236,590 median), Anesthesiologist (low exposure, $391,490 median), Dentist (moderate exposure, $170,950 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than pediatricians, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/pediatrician-general.

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology