---
title: "Will AI Replace Phlebotomists? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates phlebotomists' exposure to AI as low. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (+6.8% projected)."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-phlebotomists"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Phlebotomists? (2026)

**Short answer:** Very unlikely. BLS rates phlebotomists among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places phlebotomists in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +6.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 18,000 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Low | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 51/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +6.8% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 18,000 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $45,230 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low (this job) | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High | 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: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Face-to-face discussions: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Performing general physical activities: 3.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Documenting/recording information: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repeating the same tasks: 4.3/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Working with computers: 4.4/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repetitive motions: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work context)

## O\*NET tasks

- Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.
- Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
- Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
- Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
- Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use.
- Draw blood from capillaries by dermal puncture, such as heel or finger stick methods.

## Related careers that are also low-exposure

- [Paramedic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/paramedic): BLS exposure Low, median $60,600; [Will AI replace paramedics?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-paramedics)
- [Surgical Technologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/surgical-technologist): BLS exposure Low, median $64,650; [Will AI replace surgical technologists?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-surgical-technologists)
- [Surgical Assistant](https://nuecareer.com/careers/surgical-assistant): BLS exposure Low, median $66,800
- [Physical Therapist Assistant](https://nuecareer.com/careers/physical-therapist-assistant): BLS exposure Low, median $68,380; [Will AI replace physical therapist assistants?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-physical-therapist-assistants)
- [Dental Assistant](https://nuecareer.com/careers/dental-assistant): BLS exposure Low, median $48,070; [Will AI replace dental assistants?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-dental-assistants)
- [Nursing Assistant](https://nuecareer.com/careers/nursing-assistant): BLS exposure Low, median $42,260; [Will AI replace nursing assistants?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-nursing-assistants)

## FAQ

**Will AI replace phlebotomists?**

Very unlikely. BLS rates phlebotomists among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. 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 +6.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 18,000 openings a year.

**How exposed are phlebotomists to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Phlebotomists are in the low category, alongside 202 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 phlebotomist'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, face-to-face discussions and performing general physical activities. 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 phlebotomist a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, phlebotomists score 51 out of 100, higher than 63% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $45,230 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 phlebotomists are less exposed to AI?**

Paramedic (low exposure, $60,600 median), Surgical Technologist (low exposure, $64,650 median), Surgical Assistant (low exposure, $66,800 median), Physical Therapist Assistant (low exposure, $68,380 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/phlebotomist.

---

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