Jobs · Physical therapist

Will AI replace physical therapists?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 20% of the working time in a typical physical therapist job today. The other 80% still needs a person.

23 responsibilities · a typical physical therapist job

80% of the work still needs a person.

Still needs a person: 80% of the timeAI could take on: 20%

Median pay $102,760 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Plan and carry out treatment programs
  • Give manual therapy and exercises
  • Adjust treatment based on patient progress
  • Supervise physical therapist assistants
  • Discuss the treatment program with others
  • Test and measure patient function

AI can do or help with

  • Chart treatment progress and prognosis AI helps
  • Set goals and reevaluation plans AI helps
  • Teach home exercise programs AI helps
  • Review referrals and medical records AI helps
  • Share injury prevention and health tips AI helps
  • Refer patients to community resources 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 23, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

Is this your job?

Upload your résumé to see your Human Edge: how much of this job your experience holds in the 80% that still needs a person. You also get a free plan with what to learn next. We never keep your résumé.

Check my résuméHiring? Check your posting

Questions people ask

Will AI replace physical therapists?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 20% of the working time in a typical physical therapist job today. The other 80% 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: chart treatment progress and prognosis, set goals and reevaluation plans, teach home exercise programs, review referrals and medical records, share injury prevention and health tips, refer patients to community resources.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: plan and carry out treatment programs, give manual therapy and exercises, adjust treatment based on patient progress, supervise physical therapist assistants, discuss the treatment program with others, test and measure patient function.

How is this measured?

The U.S. Department of Labor lists 24 responsibilities for this job (O*NET 31.0), and the split covers the 23 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. Scores version 0.5.1, updated September 29, 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.

Related jobs

All 49 jobs, ranked · Jobs AI can't replace yet