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.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers 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 +9.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 23,200 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- ModerateBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 58/100Higher than 81% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +9.1%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 23,200BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers 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. Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers land in the moderate category: below the middle of the pack: some of the work overlaps with what AI can do, much of it does not.
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
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate · this job194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- 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.
- 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 activities4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Assisting and caring for others4.3/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Face-to-face discussions4.5/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Performing for or working directly with the public4.0/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Documenting/recording information4.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Repeating the same tasks4.0/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Processing information3.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Working with computers3.9/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.
- Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
- Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.
- Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses.
- Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals.
- Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.
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 +9.1% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 23,200 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 126,580 people work in the job today, at a median of $38,150 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
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.
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.
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.
Questions
Will AI Replace Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers? FAQ
Will AI replace veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers?
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 +9.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 23,200 openings a year.
How exposed are veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers 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 veterinary assistant and laboratory animal caretaker'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 processing information. The parts that hold up best are performing general physical activities, assisting and caring for 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 veterinary assistant and laboratory animal caretaker a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers score 58 out of 100, higher than 81% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $38,150 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 veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers 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). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers, 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.