How over is it?

A mood ring wired to real instruments

AI exposure Healthcare support

Will AI replace occupational therapy assistants?

Occupational Therapy Assistants. US occupation 31-2011.

0.0%

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

Ranked 346 of 756 US occupations. No AI use seen in the work yet, along with 410 other occupations.No handover started yet, along with 410 other occupations.

Average US job 7.7%

Among the least exposed jobs there are.Still waiting for liberation.

What AI already does for occupational therapy assistantsWhat occupational therapy assistants no longer do alone

O*NET lists 21 tasks for occupational therapy assistants. None of them shows meaningful AI use at work yet.

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

21 of the 21 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves.Core task
  • Alter treatment programs to obtain better results if treatment is not having the intended effect.Core task
  • Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use.Core task
  • Attend care plan meetings to review patient progress and update care plans.Core task
  • Attend continuing education classes.Core task
  • Communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient.Core task
Show the other 15
  • Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual or creative arts or games.Core task
  • Design, fabricate, or repair assistive devices or make adaptive changes to equipment or environments.Core task
  • Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.Core task
  • Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.Core task
  • Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.Core task
  • Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.Core task
  • Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.Core task
  • Order any needed educational or treatment supplies.Core task
  • Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling appointments, collecting data, or documenting health insurance billings.Core task
  • Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.Core task
  • Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.Core task
  • Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions.Core task
  • Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.Core task
  • Work under the direction of occupational therapists to plan, implement, or administer educational, vocational, or recreational programs that restore or enhance performance in individuals with functional impairments.Core task
  • 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 assistants rank 11. 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

Level with 0.0%

  1. 346Nursing Assistants 0.0%
  2. 346Occupational Health and Safety Specialists 0.0%
  3. 346Occupational Health and Safety Technicians 0.0%

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.