---
title: "Will AI Replace Psychiatrists? (2026)"
description: "BLS rates psychiatrists' exposure to AI as high. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (+7.2% projected)."
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-psychiatrists"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Psychiatrists? (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 faster than average.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places psychiatrists 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 +7.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 900 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | High | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 36/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +7.2% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 900 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $281,870 | 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: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Resolving conflicts and negotiating with others: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Face-to-face discussions: 4.9/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Documenting/recording information: 4.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Processing information: 4.3/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Analyzing data or information: 4.4/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards: 4.3/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- Gather and maintain patient information and records, including social or medical history obtained from patients, relatives, or other professionals.
- Collaborate with physicians, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, or other professionals to discuss treatment plans and progress.
- Analyze and evaluate patient data or test findings to diagnose nature or extent of mental disorder.
- Design individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments.
- Review and evaluate treatment procedures and outcomes of other psychiatrists or medical professionals.
- Teach, take continuing education classes, attend conferences or seminars, or conduct research and publish findings to increase understanding of mental, emotional, or behavioral states or disorders.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than psychiatrists

- [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)
- [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
- [Dermatologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/dermatologist): BLS exposure Moderate, median $328,730; [Will AI replace dermatologists?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-dermatologists)

## FAQ

**Will AI replace psychiatrists?**

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 +7.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 900 openings a year.

**How exposed are psychiatrists to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Psychiatrists 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 psychiatrist'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 analyzing data or information. The parts that hold up best are assisting and caring for others, resolving conflicts and negotiating with others 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 a psychiatrist a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, psychiatrists score 36 out of 100, higher than 32% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $281,870 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 psychiatrists 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), Orthodontist (moderate exposure, $289,140 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than psychiatrists, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

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

---

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