# Will phlebotomists be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Phlebotomists score 21 of 100 for AI exposure. 68% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 10% today and speed up another 22%. - **10%** AI can do it - **22%** AI helps - **68%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 78% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 23 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 5 and leaves 16 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Enter patient, specimen, insurance, or billing information into computer. Structured data entry from forms and records, a strong fit. | 80% AI can do it | | Document route of specimens from collection to laboratory analysis and diagnosis. Chain of custody logging is largely digital and barcode driven. | 70% AI can do it | | Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes. Matching forms to tubes is checkable, but needs physical specimens. | 40% AI helps | | Explain fluid or tissue collection procedures to patients. AI can draft patient explanations; live talk stays human-led. | 40% AI helps | | Provide sample analysis results to physicians to assist diagnosis. AI can summarize results, but physician communication stays human. | 35% AI helps | ## How phlebotomists compare All occupations (923) Healthcare support (19) **Phlebotomists score 21**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 26 for healthcare support. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $45,230 a year, May 2025 People employed 143,540 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +6.8% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Perform venipuncture with vacuum tube, syringe and butterfly sets - Run capillary dermal punctures for heel and finger sticks - Enter specimen and insurance records in MEDITECH software - Track chain of custody in the Laboratory information system LIS - Hold the NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician CPT credential - Screen donor eligibility from interview and vital sign records ## Safer roles nearby 5 related occupations with lower scores. - [Paramedics19 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/paramedics/) - [Surgical technologists15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/surgical-technologists/) - [Surgical assistants11 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/surgical-assistants/) - [Emergency medical technicians17 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/emergency-medical-technicians/) - [Histology technicians15 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/histology-technicians/) ## Questions about phlebotomists and AI Will AI replace phlebotomists? Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly data entry into patient and insurance records and logging specimen routes from collection to the lab. Drawing blood stays with people because venipuncture and finger sticks need skilled hands and direct patient contact. Which tasks is AI taking over for phlebotomists? Structured data entry is the most exposed task, scoring 80, because forms, insurance details and billing fields map cleanly into fields software can read. Specimen route documentation scores 70, since chain of custody logging is largely digital and barcode driven. Matching requisition forms to tubes scores 40, so software can check it but the physical specimen still needs a person. Which phlebotomist tasks stay human? Arterial draws, vein draws and capillary finger or heel sticks each score 2 or 3 on exposure, the lowest in the job, because each needs skilled hands on a living patient. Serving refreshments to donors also scores 3, since it is a physical in-person task. Hands-on work like this carries 68 percent of task weight, so most of the job stays with people. How can phlebotomists stay valuable as AI spreads? Build speed and accuracy at venipuncture, the vein draw method scoring 3, since that hands-on skill is hardest to automate. Learn the LIS and MEDITECH software so you can catch labeling and chain of custody errors before specimens leave the room. Practice explaining collection procedures to patients, a task scoring 40 that still needs a live person. Hold a credential such as NHA CPT or ASCP PBT, then seek licensing for injection work. ## Related jobs - [Cardiovascular technologists27 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cardiovascular-technologists/) - [Medical assistants32 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/medical-assistants/) - [Neurodiagnostic technologists35 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/neurodiagnostic-technologists/) - [Sonographers31 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/diagnostic-medical-sonographers/) ## Next steps for phlebotomists - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your 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/) ### 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**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](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**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](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 publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation 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/) 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.