AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-2012.01
Will AI replace Histology Technicians?
Histology Technicians: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 8 tasks; the work mostly needs an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 8 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Histology Technicians, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut sections of body tissues for microscopic examination, using microtomes. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Embed tissue specimens into paraffin wax blocks, or infiltrate tissue specimens with wax. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Mount tissue specimens on glass slides. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Stain tissue specimens with dyes or other chemicals to make cell details visible under microscopes. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Freeze tissue specimens. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Operate computerized laboratory equipment to dehydrate, decalcify, or microincinerate tissue samples. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Archive diagnostic material, such as histologic slides and blocks. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain laboratory equipment, such as microscopes, mass spectrometers, microtomes, immunostainers, tissue processors, embedding centers, and water baths. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 8 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 8 of 8. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) publishes no national employment or wage figure for this O*NET occupation.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Histotechnologists 88% skill overlap, about 4 months to move Exposure68
- Cytotechnologists 71% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure64
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure32
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure52
- Cytogenetic Technologists 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure53
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Histology Technicians and AI
Will AI replace Histology Technicians?
Not on current evidence. None of the 8 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 51 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears.
What is the AI exposure of Histology Technicians?
51 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 8 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 8 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Histology Technicians tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Cut sections of body tissues for microscopic examination, using microtomes, at 55 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Histology Technicians. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/histology-technicians
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