Careers, task by task
Psychiatry
Diagnosing and treating mental illness, through medication, therapy and long relationships, including in crisis.
- Training
- College, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years
- Today's median pay, May 2025
- $281,870
- Projected job growth, 2025 to 2035
- 7%
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Last modified August 27, 2026
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physicians and Surgeons
Scope: United States.
How it was done: Federal employment and wage statistics. Pay is the May 2025 median, half earn more and half earn less. Growth is a 2025 to 2035 projection.
Limits: A median across all ages, regions and employers, before tax. A projection, not a promise. It tells you nothing about one person's income. The outlook text on this page names aging and chronic illness as demand drivers, and does not mention AI.
Checked against the original on November 6, 2026.
Open the source (opens in a new tab)A snapshot of people practicing today, not a forecast of your income.
The work, and what we can verify about AI in it
Task lists are our editorial summary of what the role involves. They vary by setting. The status describes the evidence we've checked, not whether a job is safe.
Assessing and diagnosing
Judgment and accountability
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Talk therapy and support
Human relationship
Research only
- Emerging
In a trial of 210 U.S. adults, a generative AI chatbot reduced depression, anxiety and eating disorder risk symptoms more than a waitlist over four to eight weeks. As of November 2025, FDA said no AI-enabled device was authorized for mental health uses.
What this does not prove: Compared with a waitlist, not a therapist, with staff ready to step in. It was run by its developers. FDA's status may have changed since.
NEJM AI, March 27, 2025
Randomized trial of a generative AI chatbot for mental health symptoms (Therabot)
Scope: 210 U.S. adults with symptoms of depression, anxiety or eating disorder risk.
How it was done: Four weeks of chatbot use against a waitlist, with follow-up at eight. Read from the abstract, with staff ready to step in.
Limits: Compared with a waitlist, not with human therapy. Short, and run by its developers. It does not show the chatbot can operate unsupervised.
Checked against the original on November 6, 2026.
Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Prescribing and adjusting medication
Judgment and accountability
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Responding to crisis and safety risk
Judgment and accountability
Insufficient evidence
Insufficient evidence. We haven't verified a solid source on AI in this task yet. That's different from evidence that nothing is happening. If you know of one, send it to us.
Writing notes and charting
Information work
In real use today
- Established now
AI scribes saw the broadest adoption of any clinical AI category in 2025, reaching 63% of hospitals using Epic's record system. A prospective Stanford study of 48 physicians found a median 20 minutes saved per half day of clinic.
What this does not prove: Measured mostly among physicians, so results for psychiatrists may differ. Hospital systems reported many of these results themselves.
Stanford HAI, 2026
The 2026 AI Index Report, Chapter 6: Medicine
Scope: Global research, with U.S. data on FDA authorizations.
How it was done: An annual review that summarizes studies by other researchers.
Limits: A summary of studies with different designs. Each headline figure comes from one setup and does not generalize on its own.
Checked against the original on November 6, 2026.
Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Skills that transfer
- Deep listening
- Risk assessment
- Evidence-based therapy
- Ethics
What nobody has measured
- How chatbots compare with human therapy.
- Harms from attachment, and how AI handles a crisis at scale.
Read next
Sources last checked November 6, 2026
Next review by February 6, 2027.
What changed, and how we decideCareer guidance, not medical, legal or financial advice. For a major loan or licensing decision, talk with a qualified professional, and bring your questions from here.
Do you disagree?
If you have counterevidence, or we got something wrong, we want to see it. Don't take our word for any of this.
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