AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-1224.00

Will AI replace Radiologists?

Radiologists: AI can already handle 22 of 30 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 30 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Radiologists, from most to least exposed. 22 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Calculate, measure, or prepare radioisotope dosages. 80 Estimated Standard 3.0
Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families. 75 Estimated Standard 4.8
Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.8
Recognize or treat complications during and after procedures, including blood pressure problems, pain, oversedation, or bleeding. 75 Estimated Standard 4.8
Perform interventional procedures such as image-guided biopsy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, transhepatic biliary drainage, or nephrostomy catheter placement. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.7
Provide counseling to radiologic patients to explain the processes, risks, benefits, or alternative treatments. 75 Estimated Standard 4.5
Establish or enforce standards for protection of patients or personnel. 75 Estimated Standard 4.5
Instruct radiologic staff in desired techniques, positions, or projections. 75 Estimated Standard 4.4
Participate in quality improvement activities including discussions of areas where risk of error is high. 75 Estimated Frontier 4.1
Administer radioisotopes to clinical patients or research subjects. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Check and approve the quality of diagnostic images before patients are discharged. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Compare nuclear medicine procedures with other types of procedures, such as computed tomography, ultrasonography, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Direct nuclear medicine technologists or technicians regarding desired dosages, techniques, positions, and projections. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Establish and enforce radiation protection standards for patients and staff. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Monitor handling of radioactive materials to ensure that established procedures are followed. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Test dosage evaluation instruments and survey meters to ensure they are operating properly. 75 Estimated Standard 3.0
Prepare comprehensive interpretive reports of findings. 65 Estimated Efficient 5.0
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. 65 Estimated Frontier 4.9
Document the performance, interpretation, or outcomes of all procedures performed. 65 Estimated Efficient 4.9
Review or transmit images and information using picture archiving or communications systems. 65 Estimated Standard 4.8
Advise other physicians of the clinical indications, limitations, assessments, or risks of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of radioactive materials. 65 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Review procedure requests and patients' medical histories to determine applicability of procedures and radioisotopes to be used. 65 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Develop or monitor procedures to ensure adequate quality control of images. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.6
Coordinate radiological services with other medical activities. 50 Estimated Standard 4.4
Develop treatment plans for radiology patients. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and develop expertise. 50 Estimated Standard 4.3
Formulate plans and procedures for nuclear medicine departments. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.0
Teach nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology, or other specialties at graduate educational level. 35 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Confer with medical professionals regarding image-based diagnoses. 10 Estimated No tier 4.8
Prescribe radionuclides and dosages to be administered to individual patients. 10 Estimated No tier 3.0

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 30 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 30 of 30. 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

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 93% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 93% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 7% is hands-on.

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

US employment
26,770
Median annual wage
$420,860
Middle half of earners
$216,800 to $506,010
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+2.7%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

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.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Radiologists and AI

Will AI replace Radiologists?

AI already handles 22 of the 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 63 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. BLS projects employment to change by +2.7% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Radiologists?

63 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 30 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 30 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Radiologists tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Calculate, measure, or prepare radioisotope dosages; Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families; Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians. They are three of the 22 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 93% 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 many people work as Radiologists, and what do they earn?

26,770 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $420,860 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.7% from 2024 to 2034.

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: Radiologists. 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/radiologists

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