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AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Pharmacy Technicians? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places pharmacy technicians 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 +6.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 44,700 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
38/100Higher than 36% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+6.4%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
44,700BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed pharmacy technicians 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. Pharmacy Technicians 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 discussions4.6/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Performing for or working directly with the public3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Assisting and caring for others3.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.0/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Processing information4.1/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Repeating the same tasks4.4/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Documenting/recording information4.1/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Working with computers4.2/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for pharmacy technicians

  • Answer telephones, responding to questions or requests.
  • Maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs.
  • Receive and store incoming supplies, verify quantities against invoices, check for outdated medications in current inventory, and inform supervisors of stock needs and shortages.
  • Establish or maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients.
  • Clean and help maintain equipment or work areas and sterilize glassware, according to prescribed methods.
  • Assist customers by answering simple questions, locating items, or referring them to the pharmacist for medication information.

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 +6.4% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 44,700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 471,680 people work in the job today, at a median of $45,750 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full pharmacy technician profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers less exposed to AI than pharmacy technicians

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. Nursing Assistant

    Healthcare Support

    Median pay
    $42,260median a year
    Growth
    +2.6%
    Openings / yr
    196,200
    Education
    Certificate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    52/100
    resilience

    Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff.

  2. Phlebotomist

    Healthcare Support

    Median pay
    $45,230median a year
    Growth
    +6.8%
    Openings / yr
    18,000
    Education
    Certificate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    51/100
    resilience

    Draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research.

  3. Licensed Practical Nurse

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $64,400median a year
    Growth
    +3.0%
    Openings / yr
    51,800
    Education
    Certificate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    46/100
    resilience

    Care for ill, injured, or convalescing patients or persons with disabilities in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, private homes, group homes, and similar institutions.

  4. Veterinary Technician

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $47,380median a year
    Growth
    +9.4%
    Openings / yr
    13,400
    Education
    Associate's
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    59/100
    resilience

    Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals.

  5. Medical Assistant

    Healthcare Support

    Median pay
    $45,690median a year
    Growth
    +12.9%
    Openings / yr
    109,700
    Education
    Certificate
    Moderate
    BLS AI exposure
    41/100
    resilience

    Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician.

  6. Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician

    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 routine medical laboratory tests for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

Will AI replace nursing assistants?Will AI replace phlebotomists?Will AI replace licensed practical nurses?Will AI replace veterinary technicians?Will AI replace medical assistants?Will AI replace medical and clinical laboratory technicians?

Questions

Will AI Replace Pharmacy Technicians? FAQ

Will AI replace pharmacy technicians?

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 +6.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 44,700 openings a year.

How exposed are pharmacy technicians to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Pharmacy Technicians 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 pharmacy technician'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, repeating the same tasks and documenting/recording information. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, performing for or working directly with the public and assisting and caring for others. 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 pharmacy technician a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, pharmacy technicians score 38 out of 100, higher than 36% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $45,750 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 pharmacy technicians are less exposed to AI?

Nursing Assistant (low exposure, $42,260 median), Phlebotomist (low exposure, $45,230 median), Licensed Practical Nurse (low exposure, $64,400 median), Veterinary Technician (moderate exposure, $47,380 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than pharmacy technicians, 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.