Will AI replace radiologic technologists and technicians?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 57m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The breakdown: 7m done by people with AI help, 50m that robots have done in real workplaces. The other 7h 4m (88%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 5% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 30 tasks, about 7m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Take thorough and accurate patient medical histories. (6m a shift, people use AI to help)

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 2 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 50m of a typical shift. 4 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.

• Position imaging equipment and adjust controls to set exposure time and distance, according to specification of examination. (38m a shift; e.g. Multitom Rax Twin Robotic X-ray, in use)
• Transport patients to or from exam rooms. (13m a shift; e.g. WHILL Autonomous Mobility Service, in use)

7h 4m of a typical shift, or 88%, 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:

• Position patient on examining table and set up and adjust equipment to obtain optimum view of specific body area as requested by physician. (51m a shift)
• Explain procedures and observe patients to ensure safety and comfort during scan. (32m a shift)
• Review and evaluate developed x-rays, video tape, or computer-generated information to determine if images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes. (32m a shift)
• Make exposures necessary for the requested procedures, rejecting and repeating work that does not meet established standards. (32m a shift)
• Operate or oversee operation of radiologic or magnetic imaging equipment to produce images of the body for diagnostic purposes. (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:

• 95% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 94% are exposed to disease or infection every day
• 92% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Feb 3, 2025: Mercy rolls out Aidoc AI to review most diagnostic imaging (Rolling out)

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 13,000 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 $80,110 a year ($38.52 an hour), 57% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $55,980 and $118,660 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 5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 246,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 13,000 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 230,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.15% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 156th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 246,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is an associate's degree: about 73% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 3 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: vocational school or associate's 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: Operation and Control, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Quality Control Analysis
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 4m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: R, eClinicalWorks EHR software, MEDITECH software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

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:

• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (0m touched, $97k median pay)
• Neurodiagnostic Technologists (0m touched, $50k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 2 with robots in real deployments, 27 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.