NueCareer

AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Respiratory Therapists? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places respiratory therapists in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +8.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 8,600 openings a year.

Short answer

Very unlikely. BLS rates respiratory therapists among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.

BLS AI exposure
LowBLS EP supplemental table
AI-resilience score
56/100Higher than 75% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+8.5%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
8,600BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed respiratory therapists 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. Respiratory Therapists land in the low category: among the occupations least exposed to current AI.

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. Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
  2. Moderate194 occupations · 25%
  3. High190 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

  • Assisting and caring for others4.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Face-to-face discussions5.0/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level
  • Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials4.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Performing general physical activities3.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Documenting/recording information4.7/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Processing information3.9/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Getting information4.8/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Evaluating information to determine compliance with standards4.2/5
    O*NET work activity, importance

The tasks O*NET lists for respiratory therapists

  • Monitor patient's physiological responses to therapy, such as vital signs, arterial blood gases, or blood chemistry changes, and consult with physician if adverse reactions occur.
  • Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
  • Work as part of a team of physicians, nurses, or other healthcare professionals to manage patient care by assisting with medical procedures or related duties.
  • Inspect, clean, test, and maintain respiratory therapy equipment to ensure equipment is functioning safely and efficiently, ordering repairs when necessary.
  • Educate patients and their families about their conditions and teach appropriate disease management techniques, such as breathing exercises or the use of medications or respiratory equipment.
  • Set up and operate devices, such as mechanical ventilators, therapeutic gas administration apparatus, environmental control systems, or aerosol generators, following specified parameters of treatment.

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 +8.5% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 8,600 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 139,790 people work in the job today, at a median of $82,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full respiratory therapist profile: pay by state, entry route and skills

Options

Related careers that are also low-exposure

Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a low exposure category.

  1. Paramedic

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $60,600median a year
    Growth
    +5.7%
    Openings / yr
    4,300
    Education
    Certificate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    67/100
    resilience

    Administer basic or advanced emergency medical care and assess injuries and illnesses.

  2. Surgical Assistant

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $66,800median a year
    Growth
    +6.1%
    Openings / yr
    1,400
    Education
    Certificate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    63/100
    resilience

    Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons.

  3. Physical Therapist Assistant

    Healthcare Support

    Median pay
    $68,380median a year
    Growth
    +23.0%
    Openings / yr
    18,500
    Education
    Associate's
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    60/100
    resilience

    Assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures.

  4. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $352,220median a year
    Growth
    +5.6%
    Openings / yr
    200
    Education
    Doctorate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects.

  5. Prosthodontist

    Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

    Median pay
    $311,180median a year
    Growth
    +5.8%
    Openings / yr
    0
    Education
    Doctorate
    Low
    BLS AI exposure
    57/100
    resilience

    Diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, design, and fit prostheses that maintain oral function, health, and appearance for patients with clinical conditions associated with teeth, oral and maxillofacial tissues, or the jaw.

Will AI replace paramedics?Will AI replace physical therapist assistants?

Questions

Will AI Replace Respiratory Therapists? FAQ

Will AI replace respiratory therapists?

Very unlikely. BLS rates respiratory therapists 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 +8.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 8,600 openings a year.

How exposed are respiratory therapists to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Respiratory Therapists 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 respiratory therapist'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, face-to-face discussions and inspecting equipment, structures, or materials. 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 respiratory therapist a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, respiratory therapists score 56 out of 100, higher than 75% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $82,280 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 respiratory therapists are less exposed to AI?

Paramedic (low exposure, $60,600 median), Surgical Assistant (low exposure, $66,800 median), Physical Therapist Assistant (low exposure, $68,380 median), Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (low exposure, $352,220 median). Each is also in the low category, 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.