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AI exposure Healthcare practitioners and technical

Will AI replace radiologists?

Radiologists. US occupation 29-1224.

19.9%

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

Ranked 120 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 83% of them.Further along than 83% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

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

What AI already does for radiologistsWhat radiologists no longer do alone

O*NET lists 30 tasks for radiologists. AI use at work shows up in 3 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. Document the performance, interpretation, or outcomes of all procedures performed.Core task mostly automated 0.99
  2. Perform or interpret the outcomes of diagnostic imaging procedures including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear cardiology treadmill studies, mammography, or ultrasound.Core task mostly automated 0.91
  3. Prepare comprehensive interpretive reports of findings.Core task mostly automated 0.87

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

27 of the 30 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families.Core task
  • Confer with medical professionals regarding image-based diagnoses.Core task
  • Coordinate radiological services with other medical activities.Core task
  • Develop or monitor procedures to ensure adequate quality control of images.Core task
  • Establish or enforce standards for protection of patients or personnel.Core task
  • Instruct radiologic staff in desired techniques, positions, or projections.Core task
Show the other 21
  • Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians.Core task
  • Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and develop expertise.Core task
  • Participate in quality improvement activities including discussions of areas where risk of error is high.Core task
  • Provide counseling to radiologic patients to explain the processes, risks, benefits, or alternative treatments.Core task
  • Recognize or treat complications during and after procedures, including blood pressure problems, pain, oversedation, or bleeding.Core task
  • Review or transmit images and information using picture archiving or communications systems.Core task
  • Administer radioisotopes to clinical patients or research subjects.
  • Advise other physicians of the clinical indications, limitations, assessments, or risks of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of radioactive materials.
  • Calculate, measure, or prepare radioisotope dosages.
  • Check and approve the quality of diagnostic images before patients are discharged.
  • Compare nuclear medicine procedures with other types of procedures, such as computed tomography, ultrasonography, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography.
  • Develop treatment plans for radiology patients.
  • Direct nuclear medicine technologists or technicians regarding desired dosages, techniques, positions, and projections.
  • Establish and enforce radiation protection standards for patients and staff.
  • Formulate plans and procedures for nuclear medicine departments.
  • Monitor handling of radioactive materials to ensure that established procedures are followed.
  • Perform interventional procedures such as image-guided biopsy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, transhepatic biliary drainage, or nephrostomy catheter placement.
  • Prescribe radionuclides and dosages to be administered to individual patients.
  • Review procedure requests and patients' medical histories to determine applicability of procedures and radioisotopes to be used.
  • Teach nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology, or other specialties at graduate educational level.
  • Test dosage evaluation instruments and survey meters to ensure they are operating properly.

How that compares

Among the 65 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, radiologists rank 4. The group averages 4.1%, and its most exposed job is Medical Records Specialists at 66.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 118Loan Interviewers and Clerks 20.2%
  2. 119Purchasing Managers 20.0%
  3. 120Computer Network Architects 19.9%

Just below

  1. 122Photographers 19.5%
  2. 123Billing and Posting Clerks 19.2%
  3. 124Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary 19.1%

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.