# Will acupuncturists be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Acupuncturists score 28 out of 100 for AI exposure. AI helps with 50% of their task time, and they stay in charge. AI can do another 6%. 44% needs a person. - **6%** AI can do it - **50%** AI helps - **44%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 66% of the 923 jobs we scored. ## Task by task We graded 18 tasks, most exposed first. AI can do 1 of them, helps with 9 and leaves 8 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Maintain detailed and complete records of health care plans and prognoses. Charting and prognosis write-ups are drafted well by AI, then reviewed. | 70% AI can do it | | Collect medical histories and general health and lifestyle information from patients. Digital intake forms can be automated; live interviews need the clinician. | 60% AI helps | | Develop individual treatment plans and strategies. AI can draft plans from intake data; practitioner decides. | 50% AI helps | | Educate patients on topics, such as meditation, ergonomics, stretching, exercise, nutrition, the healing process, breathing, or relaxation techniques. AI can generate education content; delivery is live and personal. | 50% AI helps | | Consider Western medical procedures in health assessment, health care team communication, and care referrals. AI can summarize Western medical context and draft referrals. | 45% AI helps | ## How acupuncturists compare All jobs (923) Healthcare practitioners and technical (89) The dark line is **acupuncturists, at 28**. Each dot is a score, and darker dots mean more jobs share it. The short marks are the averages, 37 for all jobs and 34 for healthcare practitioners and technical. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $76,040 a year, May 2025 People employed 7,830 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +8.6% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Insert acupuncture needles at correct points manually - Run intake interviews and palpation in person - Apply moxibustion and cupping in person - Review AI-drafted treatment plans and prognoses before signing - Document plans in AcuBase Pro or Electronic health record EHR software - Refer patients to Western medical providers and follow up on results ## Safer roles nearby A related job with a lower score. - [Massage therapists20 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/massage-therapists/) ## Questions about acupuncturists and AI Will AI replace acupuncturists? Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours for an acupuncturist go to tasks AI can already do, mostly charting prognoses and collecting intake histories. Needle insertion, palpation and hands-on treatment stay with the practitioner, because those tasks need a person in the room. Which acupuncturist tasks is AI taking over? Record keeping and intake are the most exposed. Charting care plans and prognoses scores 70 on exposure, and AI drafts them well before a practitioner reviews them. Digital intake forms score 60, so AI can gather lifestyle and history data that used to take a clinic's time. Which acupuncturist tasks stay human? Needle insertion, acupressure and moxibustion stay human, with exposure scores of 3 to 4. These are manual procedures on the patient's body. Judging physical appearance scores 8, since reading the face, tongue and posture needs direct observation in the room. How can acupuncturists stay valuable as AI takes on paperwork? Spend the time saved on hands-on treatment and patient education. Check every AI-drafted plan in your EHR or AcuBase Pro before you sign it. Keep up needling and palpation skills, and build referral habits that link your care to Western medical providers. ## Related jobs - [Naturopathic physicians40 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/naturopathic-physicians/) - [Chiropractors37 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/chiropractors/) - [Cardiologists36 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cardiologists/) - [General internal medicine physicians44 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/general-internal-medicine-physicians/) ## Next steps for acupuncturists - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV to see which tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) - ### Estimate team savings The score is per person. Add headcount and salary to see the hours AI can take on in a team of acupuncturists, and what they cost. [Estimate what AI saves a team of acupuncturists](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/team-ai-audit/?role=acupuncturists) [Work out the return on automation](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-savings-calculator/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Roustabouts score lowest, at 6.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Pediatric surgeons earn a median $559,030 and score 29.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Roustabouts need little prior training and score 6.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**AI helps with 98% of the task time for health informatics specialists.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we score, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 job groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Sources and licences Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.