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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists?
Task-level automation exposure for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists: 24 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
32%
weighted task index
24 of 24 tasks scored
Median Salary
$95,480 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
43,390 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+7.7%
employment change
2,300 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$44,810 – $128,710
Highest medians
District of Columbia $128,710
California $124,000
Washington $122,750
Oregon $121,920
Alaska $120,610
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $44,810
Mississippi $71,710
South Dakota $77,010
Louisiana $77,510
Tennessee $78,610
State figures come from the 29-2035 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 32%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 31%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 37%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 4%
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 52/100
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
24 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) 20%
5 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 13%
3 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 67%
16 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
#23974 · Core · 65% automatable
Review physicians' orders to confirm prescribed exams.
text generation — Review technical docs to plan work
Review technical documents to plan work. Review work orders or schedules to determine operations or procedures. Follow protocols or regulations for healthcare activities.
#19218 · Core · 30% automatable
Conduct screening interviews of patients to identify contraindications, such as ferrous objects, pregnancy, prosthetic heart valves, cardiac pacemakers, or tattoos.
interpersonal — Collecting from patients requires live clinical interaction
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
#19228 · Core · 25% automatable
Select appropriate imaging techniques or coils to produce required images.
physical manipulation — Patient positioning and scanner operation hands-on
Create advanced digital images of patients using computer imaging systems.
#19225 · Core · 20% automatable
Operate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.
physical manipulation — Imaging equipment operated with patient positioning
Operate diagnostic imaging equipment.
#19227 · Core · 28% automatable
Provide headphones or earplugs to patients to improve comfort and reduce unpleasant noise.
decision support — Medical equipment selection needs patient exam and accountability
Select medical equipment for addressing patient needs. Assist customers to ensure comfort or safety.
#19226 · Core · 4% automatable
Position patients on cradle, attaching immobilization devices, if needed, to ensure appropriate placement for imaging.
physical manipulation — Physically positioning patients for exams
Position patients for treatment or examination.
#19236 · Core · 30% automatable
Take brief medical histories from patients.
interpersonal — Collecting from patients requires live clinical interaction
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
#19224 · Core · 55% automatable
Inspect images for quality, using magnetic resonance scanner equipment and laser camera.
visual inspection — Image quality check aided, radiologist verifies findings
Check quality of diagnostic images.
#19223 · Core · 5% automatable
Intravenously inject contrast dyes, such as gadolinium contrast, in accordance with scope of practice.
physical manipulation — Administering imaging substances is hands-on clinical procedure
Administer medical substances for imaging or other procedures.
#19237 · Core · 20% automatable
Test magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment to ensure proper functioning and performance in accordance with specifications.
visual inspection — Hands-on examination of medical instruments
Examine medical instruments or equipment to ensure proper operation.
#19220 · Core · 78% automatable
Create backup copies of images by transferring images from disk to storage media or workstation.
data analysis — Image upload and loading largely automatable
Create electronic data backup to prevent loss of information. Load digital images onto computers or websites.
#19231 · Core · 30% automatable
Instruct medical staff or students in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures or equipment operation.
interpersonal — Provider training is clinical, hands-on, accountable
Train medical providers.
#19238 · Core · 68% automatable
Write reports or notes to summarize testing procedures or outcomes for physicians or other medical professionals.
text generation — Summarize diagnostic and care activities into reports
Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
#23975 · Core · 40% automatable
Comfort patients during exams, or request sedatives or other medication from physicians for patients with anxiety or claustrophobia.
interpersonal — Treatment planning collaboration is accountable clinical work
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
#19222 · Core · 40% automatable
Explain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures to patients, patient representatives, or family members.
interpersonal — Results delivery needs empathy and clinical judgment
Explain medical procedures or test results to patients or family members.
#19217 · Core · 8% automatable
Calibrate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) console or peripheral hardware.
physical manipulation — Hands-on medical instrument maintenance
Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
#19229 · Core · 8% automatable
Troubleshoot technical issues related to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner or peripheral equipment, such as monitors or coils.
physical manipulation — Hands-on facility equipment repair
Repair medical facility equipment.
#19219 · Core · 20% automatable
Connect physiological leads to physiological acquisition control (PAC) units.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic instruments applied to patients by hand
Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
#19232 · Core · 20% automatable
Operate optical systems to capture dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images, such as functional brain imaging, real-time organ motion tracking, or musculoskeletal anatomy and trajectory visualization.
physical manipulation — Imaging equipment operated with patient positioning
Operate diagnostic imaging equipment.
#19216 · Core · 6% automatable
Attach physiological monitoring leads to patient's finger, chest, waist, or other body parts.
physical manipulation — Physical preparation of patients
Prepare patients physically for medical procedures.
#19230 · Core · 70% automatable
Conduct inventories to maintain stock of clinical supplies.
data analysis — Medical supply inventory records and thresholds automatable
Maintain inventory of medical supplies or equipment.
#19233 · Supplemental · 13% automatable
Place and secure small, portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners on body part to be imaged, such as arm, leg, or head.
physical manipulation — Imaging equipment operated with patient positioning
Operate diagnostic imaging equipment. Prepare patients physically for medical procedures.
#19221 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Develop or otherwise produce film records of magnetic resonance images.
physical manipulation — Processing requires physical handling of imaging media
Process x-rays or other medical images.
#19235 · Supplemental · 62% automatable
Schedule appointments for research subjects or clinical patients.
decision support — Clinical scheduling needs human verification of constraints
Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
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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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