---
title: "Will AI Replace Radiologic Technologists and Technicians?"
description: "BLS rates radiologic technologists and technicians' exposure to AI as moderate. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-radiologic-technologists-and-technicians"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Radiologic Technologists and Technicians? (2026)

**Short answer:** Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and still projects employment to grow faster than average.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places radiologic technologists and technicians in its moderate AI exposure category, below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not. BLS projects employment to change by +5.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 13,000 openings a year.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Moderate | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 52/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +5.0% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 13,000 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $80,110 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low | 203 |
| Moderate (this job) | 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: 4.8/5 (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: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Performing general physical activities: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Documenting/recording information: 4.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Working with computers: 4.8/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Processing information: 4.0/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Repeating the same tasks: 4.1/5 (O\*NET work context)

## O\*NET tasks

- Explain procedures and observe patients to ensure safety and comfort during scan.
- Record, process, and maintain patient data or treatment records and prepare reports.
- Prepare contrast material, radiopharmaceuticals, or anesthetic or antispasmodic drugs under the direction of a radiologist.
- Complete quality control activities, monitor equipment operation, and report malfunctioning equipment to supervisor.
- Position patient on examining table and set up and adjust equipment to obtain optimum view of specific body area as requested by physician.
- Review and evaluate developed x-rays, video tape, or computer-generated information to determine if images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes.

## Related careers less exposed to AI than radiologic technologists and technicians

- [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
- [Respiratory Therapist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/respiratory-therapist): BLS exposure Low, median $82,280; [Will AI replace respiratory therapists?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-respiratory-therapists)
- [Orthotist and Prosthetist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/orthotist-and-prosthetist): BLS exposure Low, median $81,110
- [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)
- [Dental Hygienist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/dental-hygienist): BLS exposure Low, median $98,100; [Will AI replace dental hygienists?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-dental-hygienists)

## FAQ

**Will AI replace radiologic technologists and technicians?**

Unlikely. BLS rates the work's exposure to AI as moderate, below the middle of the pack, and 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 +5.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 13,000 openings a year.

**How exposed are radiologic technologists and technicians to AI?**

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Radiologic Technologists and Technicians are in the moderate category, alongside 193 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 radiologic technologist and 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 documenting/recording information, working with computers and processing information. The parts that hold up best are assisting and caring for others, performing for or working directly with the public 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 radiologic technologist and technician a safe career from AI?**

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O\*NET work activities, radiologic technologists and technicians score 52 out of 100, higher than 66% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $80,110 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 radiologic technologists and technicians are less exposed to AI?**

Surgical Technologist (low exposure, $64,650 median), Surgical Assistant (low exposure, $66,800 median), Respiratory Therapist (low exposure, $82,280 median), Orthotist and Prosthetist (low exposure, $81,110 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than radiologic technologists and technicians, and most are listed by O\*NET as related to the work.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/radiologic-technologist-and-technician.

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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