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Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalRadiologists29-1224 · 2026-Q4
6% AI does it51% AI helps43% needs a human
Your job's name, lit by the work that still needs a human.Needs a human 43%AI helps 51%AI does it 6%
Each ridge is a slice of the job's task time.Needs a human 43%AI helps 51%AI does it 6%
The job’s mark

No two jobs leave the same print

Every job gets its own fingerprint, drawn from its code. The amber ridges are the share of task time that still needs a person. Below them, the same ridges are written out in ones and zeros: slate for the work AI helps with, white for the work AI can do.

Radiologists, O*NET-SOC 29-1224. 43% of the job’s task time still needs a human, so 43 of every 100 ridges are amber; slate is what AI helps with, white what AI can do.

What AI can and cannot do

The tasks that make up the job, from O*NET, and where AI stands on each today. 43% of the task time still needs a human.

Each block is one task; its height is its share of working time.Needs a human 43%AI helps 51%AI does it 6%
The job's task list: the parts AI can do are blacked out.Needs a human 43%AI helps 51%AI does it 6%
Prepare comprehensive interpretive reports of findings.AI helps
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.Needs a human
Document the performance, interpretation, or outcomes of all procedures performed.AI does it
Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families.Needs a human
Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians.AI helps
Review or transmit images and information using picture archiving or communications systems.AI helps
Confer with medical professionals regarding image-based diagnoses.Needs a human
Recognize or treat complications during and after procedures, including blood pressure problems, pain, oversedation, or bleeding.Needs a human
Develop or monitor procedures to ensure adequate quality control of images.AI helps
Provide counseling to radiologic patients to explain the processes, risks, benefits, or alternative treatments.AI helps
Establish or enforce standards for protection of patients or personnel.AI helps
Coordinate radiological services with other medical activities.AI helps
Instruct radiologic staff in desired techniques, positions, or projections.Needs a human
Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and develop expertise.AI helps
Participate in quality improvement activities including discussions of areas where risk of error is high.AI helps
Perform interventional procedures such as image-guided biopsy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, transhepatic biliary drainage, or nephrostomy catheter placement.Needs a human
Develop treatment plans for radiology patients.Needs a human
Administer radioisotopes to clinical patients or research subjects.Needs a human
Advise other physicians of the clinical indications, limitations, assessments, or risks of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of radioactive materials.AI helps
Calculate, measure, or prepare radioisotope dosages.Needs a human
Check and approve the quality of diagnostic images before patients are discharged.AI helps
Compare nuclear medicine procedures with other types of procedures, such as computed tomography, ultrasonography, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography.AI helps
Direct nuclear medicine technologists or technicians regarding desired dosages, techniques, positions, and projections.Needs a human
Establish and enforce radiation protection standards for patients and staff.AI helps
Formulate plans and procedures for nuclear medicine departments.AI helps
Monitor handling of radioactive materials to ensure that established procedures are followed.Needs a human
Prescribe radionuclides and dosages to be administered to individual patients.Needs a human
Review procedure requests and patients' medical histories to determine applicability of procedures and radioisotopes to be used.AI helps
Teach nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology, or other specialties at graduate educational level.Needs a human
Test dosage evaluation instruments and survey meters to ensure they are operating properly.Needs a human

Is it better than a person? The evidence

No direct test against people in this job yet. Every study is graded A to D, and vendor studies are labelled as such.

When could it be replaced?

Could be largely automated 2041–2056

80% of scenarios between 2041 and 2056. A range from our scenario model of capability, adoption and friction, not a forecast that the job ends.

The sand is the human working years left, measured in the same 40-year glass for every job, so a safe trade starts nearly full and an exposed job with a thin layer.

The sand is the human working years left, in the same 40-year glass for every job.Years still needing a humanYears run out

How this job could shift, year by year

Where the job could sit on our scale each year to 2060, across the ten scenarios behind its replacement range.

Today
Will AI replace this job?
A little.
By 2045
60%
of our scenarios have AI largely doing this job by 2045 (Largely.)
0% still have it mostly needing a person (A little. or Nah.)
By 2060
100%
of our scenarios have AI largely doing this job by 2060 (Largely.)
0% still have it mostly needing a person (A little. or Nah.)

We run this job as ten scenarios spread across its replacement range. In each, the score moves towards the bottom band (Largely: AI could largely do the job) by the year that scenario reaches it, slowly at first and faster later, as adoption usually goes. Each bar splits the ten by the band they put the job in. The model stops at 2060. How the timeline works

Share of this job's scenarios in each verdict band, today to 20600%25%50%75%100%2026: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)100%Today2030: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)100%20302035: 10.0% of scenarios: AI could do a little of this job (A little.)10%2035: 60.0% of scenarios: AI could partly do this job (Partly.)60%2035: 30.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)30%20352040: 20.0% of scenarios: AI could partly do this job (Partly.)20%2040: 50.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)50%2040: 30.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)30%20402045: 40.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)40%2045: 60.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)60%20452050: 10.0% of scenarios: AI could mostly do this job (Mostly.)10%2050: 90.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)90%20502055: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)100%20552060: 100.0% of scenarios: AI could largely do this job (Largely.)100%2060
Will AI replace the job?Largely.Mostly.Partly.A little.Nah.
Share of this job's scenarios in each band, year by year. Updated with every release.
Show the data
YearLargelyMostlyPartlyA littleNah
Today (2026)0.0%0.0%0.0%100.0%0.0%
20300.0%0.0%0.0%100.0%0.0%
20350.0%30.0%60.0%10.0%0.0%
204030.0%50.0%20.0%0.0%0.0%
204560.0%40.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
205090.0%10.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
2055100.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
2060100.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%

What’s stopping AI taking over?

The things that keep this work with people, strongest first. Each is scored 0 to 100 from O*NET work context, licensing and the evidence we have.

LicensingUsual entry requirement (BLS): doctoral or professional degree, then internship/residency; the work is licensed in all or most US states.
LiabilityMistakes are rated 3.9 out of 5 for consequence and decisions 4.3 out of 5 for impact; someone has to answer for them.
Clients want a personFace-to-face contact is rated 4.6 and physical closeness 3.6 out of 5; caring for or serving people is 4.9 out of 5 in importance.
RegulationWorkers rate responsibility for others' health and safety 3.6 out of 5; the sector has its own rules on who may do the work.
Evidence gapNo study yet compares AI with people doing this job, so employers have no proof it is good enough.
Physical work17% of the task time is physical; robots have been shown on 10% of that time.

What would it cost to hand the work to AI?

The share of the year AI could handle (620 of 2,080 hours a year), priced two ways. Both are ranges, not quotes.

AI model usage, a year
$60–$6,200
A person’s wage for the same hours
$26,520–$177,130

AI cost covers model usage only: no integration, licences, oversight or the human time still needed to review the work. Human cost is the wage for the same hours, without benefits or overheads. As of 2026-10.

Robots and humanoids

AI software can only take the work at a screen. The rest needs a robot that can do it.

17%
of the task time is physical work
Dexterous humanoid
the kind of robot the physical work would need
Not commercial: no cited robot does most of this work; humanoids are at demonstration and pilot stage.

Source: Anthropic Economic Index, 'What work can robots do?' (30 September 2026); O*NET 31.0 task weights.

Which AI skills does this job lean on?

The job’s task time split by what an AI model would need to be good at, and where models stand today.

Each star is a task, grouped by the AI skill it leans on.Needs a human 43%AI helps 51%AI does it 6%
Writing · 19% of time
Strong
Drafts, edits and translates most routine documents at professional quality.
Analysis · 26.1% of time
Strong
Reliable on structured data and rules; uneven on judgement calls with thin information.
Coding · 0% of time
Strong
Agents complete many routine software tasks end to end; larger systems still need people.
Vision and design · 8% of time
Good
Reads documents, images and layouts well; specialist imaging needs dedicated, approved tools.
Speech · 12% of time
Good
Voice agents handle routine calls and live interpreting; complex or sensitive calls still go to people.
Planning and agents · 12.7% of time
Emerging
Multi-step agents work in narrow, well-tooled workflows; open-ended coordination is unreliable.
Physical manipulation · 10.9% of time
Early
Robots handle structured, repetitive handling; general dexterity outside fixed settings is not commercial.
Care and persuasion · 11.2% of time
Limited
Can script, coach and advise; trust, presence and accountability still need a person.
Amber matter holds its orbit, slate circles the inner disc, white falls in.Needs a human 43%AI helps 51%AI does it 6%
How exposed is it?

Still needs a human: 71/100↑ safer

The amber matter on the outside holds its orbit: that is the task time that still needs a person. The slate matter circling the inner disc is the work AI helps with. The white matter is the share AI can do; it spirals in and is gone over the edge.

The matter follows the job’s task split: 43% needs a human, 51% AI helps, 6% AI does it. Still needs a human: 71/100 ↑ safer. Will AI replace them? A little.

People are asking

How often people ask whether AI will replace this job: on Google, and by estimate, in AI assistants.

In the US

1,070
Google searches a month, 12-month average to August 2026
Google searches a month, September 2025 to August 2026: from 960 to 1,600
235
estimated questions to AI assistants in September 2026
Estimated questions to AI assistants a month, October 2025 to September 2026: from 80 to 235
40
Google searches a month for every 1,000 people in the job
2nd of 197 among all jobs we have search data for

In the UK

70
Google searches a month, 12-month average to August 2026
7
estimated questions to AI assistants in September 2026
7
Google searches a month for every 1,000 people in the job in the UK (estimated)
9th of 197 among jobs we have UK search data for

Source: DataForSEO, US and UK, fetched October 3, 2026. Google figures are Google Ads’ rounded monthly averages. The AI figure is DataForSEO’s estimate from Google’s “People also ask” data, not a count from any AI assistant. UK workers are ONS employment figures matched to this job, so the UK rate per 1,000 is an estimate. Search figures are not part of our open dataset.

What the AIs say

We asked four AI assistants the same question: will AI replace this job in the next 10 years? One word (Yes, Partly or No), then one sentence. Our own answer, from the data: Still needs a human: 71/100 ↑ safer. Will AI replace them? A little.

ChatGPTPartly

AI will automate and augment many radiology tasks, but radiologists will still be needed for oversight, complex interpretation, communication, and clinical decision-making.

gpt-5.5-2026-04-23 · asked 2026-10-03
ClaudeNo

AI will augment and assist radiologists by handling routine tasks like image screening, but complex diagnostic reasoning, patient communication, and clinical judgment will keep human radiologists essential for the foreseeable future.

claude-sonnet-5 · asked 2026-10-03
GeminiNo

While AI will automate routine tasks and significantly enhance diagnostic efficiency, it will augment rather than replace radiologists, whose complex clinical judgment, procedural skills, and direct patient care remain indispensable.

gemini-3.8-flash · asked 2026-10-03
PerplexityPartly

AI will automate some radiology tasks and reshape the profession, but is unlikely to replace radiologists entirely within the next decade.

sonar · asked 2026-10-03

Assistants answer from what they learned in training (Perplexity also searches the web), so they can be confidently wrong, and the same question can get a different answer tomorrow. Our score is built from task data and graded evidence. Answers collected through DataForSEO.

Cite this page

NeedsAHuman.com (2026). Will AI replace Radiologists? A little. Still needs a human: 71/100, higher is safer; release 2026-Q4. https://needsahuman.com/jobs/radiologists/ (accessed 3 October 2026).

Scores change with each release, so cite the release. The data is open under CC BY 4.0: credit NeedsAHuman.com with a link. Open data · Press

Put the badge on your site

The badge updates itself with each release and links back to this page.

Sources

  • Tasks and work context: O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0).
  • Jobs, pay and projections: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and Employment Projections 2025–35.
  • How AI is used today: Anthropic Economic Index; Microsoft Research, "Working with AI".
  • What AI can do: our task ratings (rubric r1) and the quality evidence register.
  • UK names and employment: ONS SOC 2020 coding index and Annual Population Survey.

How each score is built: methodology. Every figure on this page: open data. Release 2026-Q4.