Jobs · Anesthesiologist

Will AI replace anesthesiologists?

Very little of the work today. AI could take on about 14% of the working time in a typical anesthesiologist job today. The other 86% still needs a person.

17 responsibilities · a typical anesthesiologist job

86% of the work still needs a person.

Still needs a person: 86% of the timeAI could take on: 14%

Evidence range: 9 to 14%. It runs between what has been measured or rated for each responsibility and our figure, which also follows industry-wide research.

Median pay $391,490 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Examine patients and assess surgery risk
  • Coordinate anesthesia timing with the surgical team
  • Give anesthesia to patients
  • Watch patients during anesthesia and respond to problems
  • Position patients safely for surgery
  • Decide when patients are ready to leave recovery

AI can do or help with

  • Record anesthesia doses and patient vitals AI helps
  • Teach staff about anesthesia and complications AI helps
  • Teach anesthesiology to residents AI helps

The biggest responsibilities of each kind. "AI helps" means AI takes on part of the work, or most of it with a person checking what it produces. See all 17, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace anesthesiologists?

Very little of the work today. AI could take on about 14% of the working time in a typical anesthesiologist job today. The other 86% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.

Which parts of the job can AI do?

The biggest ones AI can do or help with: record anesthesia doses and patient vitals, teach staff about anesthesia and complications, teach anesthesiology to residents.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: examine patients and assess surgery risk, coordinate anesthesia timing with the surgical team, give anesthesia to patients, watch patients during anesthesia and respond to problems, position patients safely for surgery, decide when patients are ready to leave recovery.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 20 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0), and the split covers the 17 people in it do today. Each is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. The evidence range is 9 to 14%. It runs between what has been measured or rated for each responsibility and our figure, which also follows industry-wide research. Scores version 0.6.3, updated October 5, 2026.

Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.

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