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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Exercise Physiologists?
Task-level automation exposure for Exercise Physiologists: 25 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
35%
weighted task index
25 of 25 tasks scored
Median Salary
$59,460 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
8,560 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+12.8%
employment change
1,400 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 42 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$43,060 – $81,310
Highest medians
Washington $81,310
Oregon $71,630
Minnesota $67,230
Massachusetts $65,950
New Jersey $64,680
Lowest medians
Mississippi $43,060
Utah $43,850
South Carolina $46,550
Pennsylvania $48,040
Arkansas $48,850
State figures come from the 29-1128 row in the May 2025 state panel. 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 35%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 15%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 49%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 3%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 4%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 28/100
Moderate
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
25 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) 7%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 39%
10 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 54%
13 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 →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 08/2026 · Occupational Expert
Manage patient clinical symptoms during stress testing protocols.
- Revision 08/2026 · Occupational Expert
Measure oxygen consumption or lung functioning using spirometers or pulse oximeters.
Replaced: Measure oxygen consumption or lung functioning, using spirometers.
- New 08/2026 · Occupational Expert
Monitor and assess patient physiological responses by measuring vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, electrocardiogram (ECG) activity, and lung sounds, during rest, exercise, and postexercise stress testing.
Constituent Tasks
#19194 · Core · 40% automatable
Explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants.
interpersonal — Results delivery needs empathy and clinical judgment
Explain medical procedures or test results to patients or family members.
#19193 · Core · 55% automatable
Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercise science standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing requirements.
decision support — AI drafts programs; trainer assesses client and adjusts
Develop exercise or conditioning programs.
#19200 · Core · 28% automatable
Provide clinical oversight of exercise for participants at all risk levels.
decision support — In-procedure patient monitoring is hands-on clinical work
Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
#19212 · Core · 18% automatable
Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress.
physical manipulation — Hands-on emergency resuscitation and physical intervention
Treat medical emergencies.
#19207 · Core · 30% automatable
Interview participants to obtain medical history or assess participant goals.
interpersonal — Collecting from patients requires live clinical interaction
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
#19192 · Core · 25% automatable
Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines.
physical manipulation — Demonstrating techniques is physical, hands-on work
Demonstrate activity techniques or equipment use. Teach exercise or fitness techniques.
#19199 · Core · 25% automatable
Prescribe individualized exercise programs, specifying equipment, such as treadmill, exercise bicycle, ergometers, or perceptual goggles.
decision support — Prescribing therapy requires licensed clinical accountability
Prescribe treatments or therapies.
#19195 · Core · 68% automatable
Interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes.
data analysis — Quantitative treatment efficacy analysis; researcher verifies
Analyze quantitative data to determine effectiveness of treatments or therapies.
#19191 · Core · 18% automatable
Conduct stress tests, using electrocardiograph (EKG) machines.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic instruments applied to patients by hand
Test patient heart or lung functioning. Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
#19201 · Core · 55% automatable
Recommend methods to increase lifestyle physical activity.
decision support — Wellness advice needs tailoring and clinical accountability
Provide health and wellness advice to patients, program participants, or caregivers.
#19203 · Core · 45% automatable
Assess physical performance requirements to aid in the development of individualized recovery or rehabilitation exercise programs.
decision support — Functional assessment aided by data, exam human
Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
#19197 · Core · 18% automatable
Revision
Measure oxygen consumption or lung functioning, using spirometers.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic instruments applied to patients by hand
Test patient heart or lung functioning. Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
#19215 · Core · 30% automatable
Teach group exercise for low-, medium-, or high-risk clients to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning.
interpersonal — Caregiver technique training is live and relational
Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
#19214 · Core · 42% automatable
Teach behavior modification classes related to topics such as stress management or weight control.
interpersonal — Health class content aided, facilitation human
Teach health management classes.
#19202 · Core · 42% automatable
Teach courses or seminars related to exercise or diet for patients, athletes, or community groups.
interpersonal — Health class content aided, facilitation human
Teach health management classes.
#19204 · Core · 8% automatable
Calibrate exercise or testing equipment.
physical manipulation — Hands-on medical instrument maintenance
Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
#19213 · Core · 8% automatable
Supervise maintenance of exercise or exercise testing equipment.
physical manipulation — Hands-on medical instrument maintenance
Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
#19198 · Core · 25% automatable
Perform routine laboratory tests of blood samples for cholesterol level or glucose tolerance.
physical manipulation — Specimen testing needs lab equipment operation
Test biological specimens to gather information about patient conditions.
#19206 · Core · 55% automatable
Evaluate staff performance in leading group exercise or conducting diagnostic tests.
decision support — Performance review aided; accountability and context human
Evaluate employee performance.
#19208 · Core · 32% automatable
Mentor or train staff to lead group exercise.
interpersonal — Caregiver training needs live modeling and supervision
Train caregivers or other non-medical personnel.
#19211 · Core · 57% automatable
Present exercise knowledge, program information, or research study findings at professional meetings or conferences.
text generation — Health messaging drafted by AI; public delivery human
Present medical research reports. Communicate health and wellness information to the public.
#19196 · Core · 15% automatable
Measure amount of body fat, using such equipment as hydrostatic scale, skinfold calipers, or tape measures.
physical manipulation — Measuring physiological attributes needs hands-on devices
Measure the physical or physiological attributes of patients.
#19209 · Core · 45% automatable
Order or recommend diagnostic procedures, such as stress tests, drug screenings, or urinary tests.
decision support — Clinical ordering requires licensed human accountability
Order medical diagnostic or clinical tests.
#19210 · Core · 40% automatable
Plan or conduct exercise physiology research projects.
information retrieval — Literature review aided; wet-lab and clinical research human
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
#19205 · Core · 60% automatable
Educate athletes or coaches on techniques to improve athletic performance, such as heart rate monitoring, recovery techniques, hydration strategies, or training limits.
decision support — General regimens good; individual assessment needs human
Advise athletes, coaches, or trainers on exercise regimens, nutrition, or equipment use.
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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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