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AI exposure Healthcare support

Will AI replace occupational therapy aides?

Occupational Therapy Aides. US occupation 31-2012.

6.6%

of the time occupational therapy aides spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of occupational therapy aides' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 222 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 70% of them.Further along than 70% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.

What AI already does for occupational therapy aidesWhat occupational therapy aides no longer do alone

O*NET lists 14 tasks for occupational therapy aides. AI use at work shows up in 1 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Observe patients' attendance, progress, attitudes, and accomplishments and record and maintain information in client records.Core task automated and assisted 0.78

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

13 of the 14 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Adjust and repair assistive devices and make adaptive changes to other equipment and to environments.Core task
  • Assist occupational therapists in planning, implementing, and administering therapy programs to restore, reinforce, and enhance performance, using selected activities and special equipment.Core task
  • Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual and creative arts and games.Core task
  • Encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.Core task
  • Instruct patients and families in work, social, and living skills, the care and use of adaptive equipment, and other skills to facilitate home and work adjustment to disability.Core task
  • Manage intradepartmental infection control and equipment security.Core task
Show the other 7
  • Perform clerical, administrative, and secretarial duties, such as answering phones, restocking and ordering supplies, filling out paperwork, and scheduling appointments.Core task
  • Prepare and maintain work area, materials, and equipment and maintain inventory of treatment and educational supplies.Core task
  • Report to supervisors or therapists, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, attendance, and accomplishments.Core task
  • Supervise patients in choosing and completing work assignments or arts and crafts projects.Core task
  • Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.Core task
  • Accompany patients on outings, providing transportation when necessary.
  • Assist educational specialists or clinical psychologists in administering situational or diagnostic tests to measure client's abilities or progress.

How that compares

Among the 16 healthcare support occupations, occupational therapy aides rank 2. The group averages 4.9%, and its most exposed job is Medical Transcriptionists at 63.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 220Residential Advisors 6.7%
  2. 222Engineers, All Other 6.6%
  3. 222Medical and Health Services Managers 6.6%

Just below

  1. 226Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists 6.5%
  2. 226Gambling Cage Workers 6.5%
  3. 228Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors 6.4%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.