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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Speech-Language Pathologists?
Task-level automation exposure for Speech-Language Pathologists: 23 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
43%
weighted task index
23 of 23 tasks scored
Median Salary
$97,870 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
183,390 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+16.6%
employment change
12,500 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.
$49,800 – $118,970
Highest medians
California $118,970
Colorado $110,750
District of Columbia $109,380
Washington $105,550
Nevada $104,510
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $49,800
South Dakota $65,680
Louisiana $69,610
Alabama $73,660
North Dakota $75,240
State figures come from the 29-1127 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 43%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 5%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 76%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 22%
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 25/100
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
23 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%
3 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 49%
11 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 37%
9 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
#18523 · Core · 55% automatable
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.
decision support — Treatment goals need clinical accountability and context
Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
#18524 · Core · 70% automatable
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.
data analysis — Facility records need human verification and compliance
Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities. Maintain medical facility records.
#1867 · Core · 35% automatable
Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
decision support — AI aids chart review; clinical observation of patient is human
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
#1871 · Core · 45% automatable
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.
decision support — Draft non-medical plans; clinician validates and owns
Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
#1869 · Core · 18% automatable
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.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic instruments applied to patients by hand
Test patient hearing. Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
#18528 · Core · 30% automatable
Educate patients and family members about various topics, such as communication techniques or strategies to cope with or to avoid personal misunderstandings.
interpersonal — Caregiver technique training is live and relational
Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
#18530 · Core · 33% automatable
Supervise or collaborate with therapy team.
interpersonal — Treatment planning collaboration is accountable clinical work
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment. Supervise patient care personnel.
#18526 · Core · 54% automatable
Participate in and write reports for meetings regarding patients' progress, such as individualized educational planning (IEP) meetings, in-service meetings, or intervention assistance team meetings.
text generation — Summarize diagnostic and care activities into reports
Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities. Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
#1874 · Core · 30% automatable
Teach clients to control or strengthen tongue, jaw, face muscles, or breathing mechanisms.
interpersonal — Caregiver technique training is live and relational
Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
#1873 · Core · 30% automatable
Instruct clients in techniques for more effective communication, such as sign language, lip reading, or voice improvement.
interpersonal — Caregiver technique training is live and relational
Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
#1876 · Core · 50% automatable
Consult with and advise educators or medical staff on speech or hearing topics, such as communication strategies or speech and language stimulation.
decision support — Clinical advice needs licensed accountability and context
Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
#1875 · Core · 45% automatable
Develop speech exercise programs to reduce disabilities.
decision support — Draft non-medical plans; clinician validates and owns
Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
#18527 · Core · 69% automatable
Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
text generation — Draft healthcare training; clinician reviews accuracy
Schedule patient procedures or appointments. Prepare healthcare training materials. Process healthcare paperwork.
#18531 · Core · 48% automatable
Consult with and refer clients to additional medical or educational services.
decision support — Clinical referral judgment needs licensed human accountability
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment. Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
#1878 · Core · 50% automatable
Design, develop, or employ alternative diagnostic or communication devices or strategies.
decision support — Assessment methods drafted; clinical validation human
Develop health assessment methods or programs.
#18529 · Core · 64% automatable
Participate in conferences, training, continuing education courses, or publish research results to share knowledge of new hearing or speech disorder treatment methods or technologies.
information retrieval — AI summarizes medical updates; human retains judgment
Maintain medical or professional knowledge. Present medical research reports.
#1884 · Core · 34% automatable
Use computer applications to identify or assist with communication disabilities.
decision support — AI suggests strategies; individualized special-needs judgment human
Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs. Assist students with special educational needs.
#18525 · Supplemental · 45% automatable
Develop individual or group activities or programs in schools to deal with behavior, speech, language, or swallowing problems.
decision support — Draft non-medical plans; clinician validates and owns
Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
#1879 · Supplemental · 32% automatable
Conduct lessons or direct educational or therapeutic games to assist teachers dealing with speech problems.
interpersonal — Caregiver training needs live modeling and supervision
Train caregivers or other non-medical personnel.
#1883 · Supplemental · 43% automatable
Provide communication instruction to dialect speakers or students with limited English proficiency.
interpersonal — Course content AI-assisted; live teaching and assessment human
Teach classes in area of specialization. Lead classes or community events.
#23952 · Supplemental · 31% automatable
Supervise students or assistants.
interpersonal — Mentoring students requires relationship and judgment
Supervise technical medical personnel. Supervise student research or internship work.
#1882 · Supplemental · 34% automatable
Communicate with students who use an alternative method of communications, using sign language or computer technology.
decision support — AI suggests strategies; individualized special-needs judgment human
Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs. Assist students with special educational needs.
#1885 · Supplemental · 46% automatable
Conduct or direct research on speech or hearing topics and report findings for use in developing procedures, technologies, or treatments.
interpersonal — Medical research presentation needs human delivery
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues. Present medical research reports.
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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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