Will AI replace podiatrists?

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 2% 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 6 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:

• Diagnose diseases and deformities of the foot using medical histories, physical examinations, x-rays, and laboratory test results. (1h 37m a shift)
• Surgically treat conditions such as corns, calluses, ingrown nails, tumors, shortened tendons, bunions, cysts, or abscesses. (1h 37m a shift)
• Treat bone, muscle, and joint disorders affecting the feet and ankles. (1h 26m a shift)
• Perform administrative duties, such as hiring employees, ordering supplies, or keeping records. (1h 5m a shift)
• Advise patients about treatments and foot care techniques necessary for prevention of future problems. (38m 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:

• 92% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 85% use their hands on tools, objects or controls more than half the time
• 80% are exposed to disease or infection every day

On Indeed, job postings in the Medical Technician sector are at 125% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 2.6% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 200 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 $160,300 a year ($77.07 an hour), 214% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $66,010 and $309,670 or more 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% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 10,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 200 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 9,680 people in the U.S., roughly 0.01% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 670th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 10,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a doctoral degree: about 53% 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, Active Learning, Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Facebook, Microsoft Access

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:

• General Internal Medicine Physicians (2h 7m touched, $257k median pay)
• Allergists and Immunologists (3h 15m touched, $266k median pay)
• Chiropractors (22m touched, $79k median pay)
• Naturopathic Physicians (41m touched, $115k median pay)
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (0m touched, $352k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 11 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.