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Healthcare · Updated Aug 2026

Cytotechnologists

Stain, mount, and study cells to detect evidence of cancer, hormonal abnormalities, and other pathological conditions following established standards and practices.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
53/100
Moderate

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
54/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence82/100
Task coverage85%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Document specimens by verifying patients' and specimens' information.High
67
Maintain effective laboratory operations by adhering to standards of specimen collection, preparation, or laboratory safety.High
74
Submit slides with abnormal cell structures to pathologists for further examination.High
69
Provide patient clinical data or microscopic findings to assist pathologists in the preparation of pathology reports.High
66
Examine specimens, using microscopes, to evaluate specimen quality.High
52
Assign tasks or coordinate task assignments to ensure adequate performance of laboratory activities.High
67
Prepare and analyze samples, such as Papanicolaou (PAP) smear body fluids and fine needle aspirations (FNAs), to detect abnormal conditions.High
31
Assist pathologists or other physicians to collect cell samples by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy or other method.High
37
Examine cell samples to detect abnormalities in the color, shape, or size of cellular components and patterns.High
22
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Maintain effective laboratory operations by adhering to standards of specimen collection, preparation, or laboratory safety.74
  2. Submit slides with abnormal cell structures to pathologists for further examination.69
  3. Document specimens by verifying patients' and specimens' information.67
  4. Assign tasks or coordinate task assignments to ensure adequate performance of laboratory activities.67
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Examine cell samples to detect abnormalities in the color, shape, or size of cellular components and patterns.01
  2. Prepare and analyze samples, such as Papanicolaou (PAP) smear body fluids and fine needle aspirations (FNAs), to detect abnormal conditions.02
  3. Submit slides with abnormal cell structures to pathologists for further examination.03
  4. Examine specimens, using microscopes, to evaluate specimen quality.04
  5. Assign tasks or coordinate task assignments to ensure adequate performance of laboratory activities.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency50
Physical dependency40
Adoption pressure61
Labour-market resilience54
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence82/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →