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AI and jobs

Will AI Replace Surgical Technologists? (2026)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics places surgical technologists in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +5.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 7,100 openings a year.

Short answer

Very unlikely. BLS rates surgical technologists 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
65/100Higher than 93% of jobs · NueCareer
Projected change
+5.0%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
Openings a year
7,100BLS EP 2025–2035

The federal measure

How exposed surgical technologists 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. Surgical Technologists 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

  • Performing general physical activities4.7/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Assisting and caring for others4.5/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Handling and moving objects4.6/5
    O*NET work activity, importance
  • Face-to-face discussions4.6/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

What AI reaches first

Routine, repeatable and screen-based work

  • Processing information4.2/5
    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
  • Repeating the same tasks3.9/5
    O*NET work context, frequency or level

The tasks O*NET lists for surgical technologists

  • Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
  • Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
  • Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
  • Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card.
  • Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
  • Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery.

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 +5.0% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 7,100 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 117,460 people work in the job today, at a median of $64,650 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Full surgical technologist 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.

Will AI replace paramedics?

Questions

Will AI Replace Surgical Technologists? FAQ

Will AI replace surgical technologists?

Very unlikely. BLS rates surgical technologists 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 +5.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 7,100 openings a year.

How exposed are surgical technologists to AI?

BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Surgical Technologists 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 surgical technologist'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, getting information and evaluating information to determine compliance with standards. The parts that hold up best are performing general physical activities, assisting and caring for others and handling and moving objects. 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 surgical technologist a safe career from AI?

On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, surgical technologists score 65 out of 100, higher than 93% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $64,650 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 surgical technologists are less exposed to AI?

Paramedic (low exposure, $60,600 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.