Will AI replace clinical neuropsychologists?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 1h 1m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI that people use as a helper. The other 6h 59m (87%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 2.3% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 2 of 18 tasks, about 1h 1m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories. (45m a shift, people use AI to help)
• Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in neuropsychology. (17m a shift, people use AI to help)

6h 59m of a typical shift, or 87%, 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:

• Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports, using data from psychological or neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct observations, or interviews. (1h 52m a shift)
• Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensorimotor function, language, learning, and memory. (1h 40m a shift)
• Provide education or counseling to individuals and families. (34m a shift)
• Consult with other professionals about patients' neurological conditions. (28m a shift)
• Diagnose and treat conditions involving injury to the central nervous system, such as cerebrovascular accidents, neoplasms, infectious or inflammatory diseases, degenerative diseases, head traumas, demyelinating diseases, and various forms of dementing illnesses. (22m 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:

• 91% talk face to face with others every day
• 79% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 62% work at arm's length or closer to other people

For the 1 task in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 2h 34m for a person alone and about 52m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories (about 2h 34m alone, 52m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Social Science sector are at 126% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 6.7% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 3,500 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 $110,840 a year ($53.29 an hour), 117% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $54,990 and $168,520 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 2.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 61,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 3,500 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 19,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 562nd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 61,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is post-doctoral training: about 92% 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, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Listening, Critical Thinking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 59m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: IBM SPSS Statistics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Provide feedback to patients and their families on the results of neuropsychological evaluations and recommendations.

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:

• Neuropsychologists (59m touched, $111k median pay)
• Psychiatrists (1h 23m touched, $282k median pay)
• Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses (37m touched, $98k median pay)
• Neurologists (55m touched, $249k median pay)
• Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (19m touched, $101k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 2 observed in real AI use, 16 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.