Will animal caretakers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Animal caretakers score 29 of 100 for AI exposure. 59% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 6% today and speed up another 35%.
- 6% AI can do it
- 35% AI helps
- 59% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 64% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 22 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 8 and leaves 13 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Answer telephones and schedule appointments. Phone bots and scheduling software handle calls and bookings well. | 72% AI can do it |
| Collect and record animal information, such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given, and food intake. Software can log readings and notes; weighing still needs hands. | 55% AI helps |
| Respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities. AI answers common animal questions; staff handle visitors in person. | 50% AI helps |
| Advise pet owners on how to care for their pets' health. AI gives general care tips; vets must judge individual health. | 40% AI helps |
| Find homes for stray or unwanted animals. AI drafts listings and screens applicants; handovers need people. | 38% AI helps |
| Order, unload, and store feed and supplies. Ordering supplies is automatable; unloading and stocking stay physical. | 35% AI helps |
| Sell pet food and supplies. Recommendations and checkout are automatable; in store help is not. | 30% AI helps |
| Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species. AI checks recipes and dose math; a person still mixes. | 22% AI helps |
| Discuss with clients their pets' grooming needs. Grooming talks are in person; AI can prep consult notes. | 22% AI helps |
| Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment. Hands on treatment of animals; AI only drafts vet messages. | 12% Needs a person |
Show the other 12 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Clean and disinfect surgical equipment. Cleaning instruments is physical; AI can supply disinfection checklists. | 12% Needs a person |
| Adjust controls to regulate specified temperature and humidity of animal quarters, nurseries, or exhibit areas. Adjusting physical controls is manual; AI adds only alerts. | 12% Needs a person |
| Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions. Physical feeding and watering; AI only helps with schedules. | 10% Needs a person |
| Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury. Watching and touching animals to spot illness needs a person. | 8% Needs a person |
| Train animals to perform certain tasks. Training animals is live physical work; AI helps plan only. | 8% Needs a person |
| Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles. Mopping, laundry and disinfecting are physical work. | 6% Needs a person |
| Install, maintain, and repair animal care facility equipment, such as infrared lights, feeding devices, and cages. Repairing cages and feeders is physical skilled work. | 6% Needs a person |
| Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health. Walking and playing with animals is physical and in person. | 4% Needs a person |
| Observe and caution children petting and feeding animals in designated areas to ensure the safety of humans and animals. Supervising children with animals needs live, in person attention. | 4% Needs a person |
| Transfer animals between enclosures to facilitate breeding, birthing, shipping, or rearrangement of exhibits. Moving animals between enclosures is physical and needs care. | 4% Needs a person |
| Perform animal grooming duties, such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, cutting nails, and cleaning ears. Bathing, clipping and nail trimming are physical handwork. | 3% Needs a person |
| Anesthetize and inoculate animals, according to instructions. Injecting and anesthetizing animals needs trained hands and judgement. | 3% Needs a person |
How animal caretakers compare
All occupations (923)
Personal care and service (31)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $35,360 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 266,910 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +12.1% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Run daily feeding and medication logs in DaySmart 123Pet
- Handle dogs and cats safely during bathing and clipping
- Hold hands-on care for animals that need restraint and calm handling
- Supervise children and visitors during animal contact sessions
- Manage kennel bookings and intake records in Appointment-Plus
- Write adoption profiles and handle in-person handovers with new owners
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about animal caretakers and AI
Will AI replace animal caretakers?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly answering telephones and scheduling appointments, plus recording animal information such as weight and medication. Feeding, bathing, exercising and cleaning cages stay with people because they need hands on the animal.
Which animal caretaker tasks is AI taking over?
Phone answering and appointment booking are the most exposed, with an exposure score of 72. Phone bots and scheduling software handle calls and bookings well. Recording weights, treatments and food intake also moves to software, scoring 55, though staff still take the readings.
Which animal caretaker tasks stay human?
Grooming, anesthetizing and inoculating animals, exercising them, supervising children and moving animals between enclosures all score 6 or below. These tasks need physical handwork and live attention in the room, and they make up most of the job's task weight at 59 percent.
How do animal caretakers stay valuable as AI takes on scheduling?
Build hands-on grooming, restraint and exercise routines, since software can only log them. Use DaySmart 123Pet or Appointment-Plus to record medications and intake, then check each entry against the animal in front of you. Train visitors and children in safe contact sessions, which keeps the people side of the job with you.
Related jobs
Next steps for animal caretakers
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.
Related topics
- Jobs AI can't replaceCement masons score lowest, at 8.
- Jobs most at risk from AIProofreaders score highest, at 76.
- High-paying jobs with low AI exposureRadiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.
- Entry-level jobs with low AI exposureCement masons need little prior training and score 8.
- Jobs AI speeds up the mostFor natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.
- AI and jobs in Malta15 iGaming roles graded task by task.
- Skills that keep work humanThe skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.
- Jobs A to ZEvery job we publish, by first letter.
- AI exposure by industryAverage scores for 22 occupation groups.
- Write a CV screening software can readHow applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.
- AI for businessesThe tasks to automate first in each team and industry.
- How we score AI exposureThe grading, the weights and every source.