Will AI replace anesthesiologist assistants?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 10m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The other 5h 50m (73%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 21.1% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 1 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 2h 10m of a typical shift. 3 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 8 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Control anesthesia levels during procedures. (2h 9m a shift; e.g. ROP-1680 AsisTIVA, in use)

5h 50m of a typical shift, or 73%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Assist anesthesiologists in monitoring of patients, including electrocardiogram (EKG), direct arterial pressure, central venous pressure, arterial blood gas, hematocrit, or routine measurement of temperature, respiration, blood pressure or heart rate. (1h 26m a shift)
• Provide airway management interventions including tracheal intubation, fiber optics, or ventilary support. (43m a shift)
• Administer anesthetic, adjuvant, or accessory drugs under the direction of an anesthesiologist. (43m a shift)
• Collect and document patients' pre-anesthetic health histories. (32m a shift)
• Monitor and document patients' progress during post-anesthesia period. (32m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 88% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 88% are exposed to disease or infection every day
• 86% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety

On Indeed, job postings in the Physicians & Surgeons sector are at 202% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 8.8% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 12,000 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $135,880 a year ($65.33 an hour), 167% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $99,380 and $190,280 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 21.1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 205,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 12,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 162,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.10% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 200th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 205,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a master's degree: about 42% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Science, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 50m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: eClinicalWorks EHR software, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Respiratory Therapists (0m touched, $82k median pay)
• Anesthesiologists (57m touched, $391k median pay)
• Nurse Anesthetists (0m touched, $237k median pay)
• Emergency Medicine Physicians (46m touched, $336k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 with robots in real deployments, 15 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.