Will AI Replace Occupational Therapists?
Short answer: Occupational therapists help people get back to the activities of daily life after injury, illness or disability, or develop them in the first place. That work happens with the person: practicing tasks, adapting a home or classroom, fitting equipment and training caregivers. AI can help with the paperwork, including evaluation reports and progress notes, and with planning activities.
The therapy itself depends on observing, adjusting and encouraging in real time.
AI exposure
Low to Moderate
Evaluation reports, progress notes and activity planning are exposed; hands-on therapy and adapting real environments are not. The band describes tasks, not your career. How we rate exposure.
What AI automates, augments, and leaves alone
Likely automated (AI does this for you)
- Progress notes and documentation
- Evaluation report drafts
- Scheduling and caseload logistics
- Billing and authorization paperwork
- Home program handouts
Likely augmented (AI does this with you)
- Selecting activities for therapy goals
- Analyzing evaluation data
- Recommending adaptive equipment
- Planning environment modifications
- Caregiver education materials
Likely human-anchored
- Hands-on therapy sessions
- Observing how someone performs daily tasks
- Adapting homes, classrooms and workplaces
- Training caregivers and families
- Clinical judgment about function and safety
AI can help write the evaluation; helping someone dress, cook or return to work is done in person.
Where things stand in 2026
BLS projects occupational therapist jobs to grow 14.8% from 2025 to 2035, citing growing special education needs in schools and rising demand for inpatient rehabilitation. The occupation rates high on BLS's new AI exposure scale; in our reading, most of that exposure is in evaluation and reporting.
Where this experience points next
Occupational therapists have several directions that build on the same clinical judgment:
- School-based or pediatric OT: Work with children and schools, a setting BLS expects to grow.
- Rehab or therapy program management: Lead therapy teams and programs in hospitals or clinics.
- Accessibility and assistive technology (the remix): Help organizations design products and spaces that work for people with disabilities, including AI-enabled tools.
What this means for your next move
By our rating, this is among the less exposed roles in our 100-role index, though BLS's broader measure rates it higher. AI can lighten documentation, and the therapy itself stays human.
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FAQ
Will AI replace occupational therapists?
Not on current evidence. AI helps with documentation and planning, but hands-on therapy and adapting real environments need therapists, and BLS projects strong growth.
Which occupational therapy tasks are most exposed to AI?
Progress notes, evaluation report drafts, scheduling, billing and home program handouts.
What occupational therapy work holds up best?
Hands-on therapy, observing daily tasks, adapting environments, caregiver training and functional judgment.
What can an occupational therapist move into next?
School-based or pediatric OT, rehab program management, or accessibility and assistive technology.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (released Aug. 27, 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, AI exposure categories (2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook; O*NET OnLine 29-1122.00 task profile (O*NET 31.0); Felten, Raj & Seamans, AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE), Strategic Management Journal (2021); Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock, GPTs are GPTs, Science (2024); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Factors affecting occupational utilization, 2025–35. Remix Career methodology, reviewed October 2026. How we read AI impact.
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