Will AI replace audiologists?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 11% 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.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. For 5 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, 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:

• Fit, dispense, and repair assistive devices, such as hearing aids. (1h 19m a shift)
• Maintain patient records at all stages, including initial and subsequent evaluation and treatment activities. (1h 7m a shift)
• Administer hearing tests and examine patients to collect information on type and degree of impairment, using specialized instruments and electronic equipment. (1h 7m a shift)
• Evaluate hearing and balance disorders to determine diagnoses and courses of treatment. (49m a shift)
• Counsel and instruct patients and their families in techniques to improve hearing and communication related to hearing loss. (36m 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:

• 95% talk face to face with others every day
• 91% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 85% work at arm's length or closer to other people

On Indeed, job postings in the Therapy sector are at 188% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 3.2% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 600 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 $95,780 a year ($46.05 an hour), 88% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $64,610 and $133,120 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 11% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 16,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 600 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 14,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 615th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 16,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a doctoral degree: about 95% 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: Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning, Service Orientation, Writing
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: eClinicalWorks EHR software, Epic Systems, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook

These use similar skills. 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:

• Optometrists (0m touched, $137k median pay)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (0m touched, $352k median pay)
• Urologists (1h 17m touched, $266k median pay)
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians (0m touched, $266k median pay)
• Orthotists and Prosthetists (0m touched, $81k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 22 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.