Will AI replace speech-language pathologists?

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 16.6% 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.

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:

• Write reports and maintain proper documentation of information, such as client Medicaid or billing records or caseload activities, including the initial evaluation, treatment, progress, and discharge of clients. (1h 9m a shift)
• Administer hearing or speech and language evaluations, tests, or examinations to patients to collect information on type and degree of impairments, using written or oral tests or special instruments. (38m a shift)
• Evaluate hearing or speech and language test results, barium swallow results, or medical or background information to diagnose and plan treatment for speech, language, fluency, voice, or swallowing disorders. (32m a shift)
• Develop or implement treatment plans for problems such as stuttering, delayed language, swallowing disorders, or inappropriate pitch or harsh voice problems, based on own assessments and recommendations of physicians, psychologists, or social workers. (32m a shift)
• Teach clients to control or strengthen tongue, jaw, face muscles, or breathing mechanisms. (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:

• 100% talk face to face with others every day
• 99% are in constant contact with other people
• 98% work at arm's length or closer to other people

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

• Jul 28, 2026: Net Health adds AI scribe for PT, OT and speech therapy notes (Rolling out)

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 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 $97,870 a year ($47.05 an hour), 92% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $62,900 and $134,160 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 16.6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 226,000 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 183,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.12% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 180th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 226,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a master's degree: about 89% 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: Learning Strategies, Social Perceptiveness, Instructing, Operations Analysis
• 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, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word

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:

• Psychiatrists (1h 23m touched, $282k median pay)
• Occupational Therapists (19m touched, $100k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 23 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.