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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Cytotechnologists?
Task-level automation exposure for Cytotechnologists: 13 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
37%
weighted task index
13 of 13 tasks scored
Median Salary
$62,930 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Very High
332,940 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+2.7%
employment change
20,800 openings a year · BLS roll-up 29-2010
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 54 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$37,790 – $97,280
Highest medians
New York $97,280
Oregon $83,010
New Hampshire $81,020
Massachusetts $79,120
Vermont $78,680
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $37,790
Guam $45,130
New Mexico $47,360
Idaho $47,450
Virgin Islands $48,650
OEWS has no state row for this exact code, so figures come from the 29-2010 roll-up. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 37%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 23%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 60%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 0%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 59/100
High
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
13 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 14%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 39%
5 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 47%
6 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#17395 · Core · 35% automatable
Examine cell samples to detect abnormalities in the color, shape, or size of cellular components and patterns.
physical manipulation — Specimen analysis requires lab instruments and hands
Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems.
#17401 · Core · 80% automatable
Document specimens by verifying patients' and specimens' information.
data analysis — Patient info verification against records, human confirms
Verify accuracy of patient information.
#17405 · Core · 55% automatable
Submit slides with abnormal cell structures to pathologists for further examination.
information retrieval — Relaying results is structured; interpretation stays human
Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
#17397 · Core · 22% automatable
Prepare and analyze samples, such as Papanicolaou (PAP) smear body fluids and fine needle aspirations (FNAs), to detect abnormal conditions.
physical manipulation — Specimen analysis requires lab instruments and hands
Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems. Prepare biological specimens for laboratory analysis.
#17396 · Core · 25% automatable
Examine specimens, using microscopes, to evaluate specimen quality.
physical manipulation — Specimen testing needs lab equipment operation
Test biological specimens to gather information about patient conditions.
#17402 · Core · 39% automatable
Maintain effective laboratory operations by adhering to standards of specimen collection, preparation, or laboratory safety.
decision support — AI reviews records but physical verification and accountability human
Verify that medical activities or operations meet standards. Follow protocols or regulations for healthcare activities.
#17398 · Core · 55% automatable
Provide patient clinical data or microscopic findings to assist pathologists in the preparation of pathology reports.
information retrieval — Relaying results is structured; interpretation stays human
Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
#17399 · Core · 10% automatable
Assist pathologists or other physicians to collect cell samples by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy or other method.
physical manipulation — Hands-on assistance during examinations
Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments.
#17404 · Core · 8% automatable
Prepare cell samples by applying special staining techniques, such as chromosomal staining, to differentiate cells or cell components.
physical manipulation — Manual specimen preparation
Prepare biological specimens for laboratory analysis.
#17406 · Core · 10% automatable
Adjust, maintain, or repair laboratory equipment, such as microscopes.
physical manipulation — Hands-on medical equipment adjustment
Adjust settings or positions of medical equipment. Maintain medical laboratory equipment. Repair medical facility equipment.
#17407 · Core · 30% automatable
Assign tasks or coordinate task assignments to ensure adequate performance of laboratory activities.
interpersonal — Supervising clinicians requires accountability and live judgment
Supervise technical medical personnel.
#17408 · Core · 75% automatable
Attend continuing education programs that address laboratory issues.
information retrieval — AI summarizes medical updates; human retains judgment
Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
#17400 · Supplemental · 35% automatable
Examine specimens to detect abnormal hormone conditions.
physical manipulation — Specimen analysis requires lab instruments and hands
Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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