Careers, task by task
Radiology
Reading images, guiding treatment and advising other clinicians. It's the specialty with the most AI products so far.
- Training
- College, four years of medical school, then a residency of 3 or more years
- Today's median pay, May 2025
- $420,860
- Projected job growth, 2025 to 2035
- 3%
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.
Reading screening mammograms
Information work
Narrow use or authorization
- Established now
In a Swedish randomized trial of 105,934 women, AI-supported reading cut screen readings by 44%, and found 6.4 cancers per 1,000 against 5.0. Interval cancers were non-inferior, at 1.55 against 1.76 per 1,000.
What this does not prove: Radiologists still read every exam. Interval cancers are not proven lower. One vendor and one region, with no mortality data.
The Lancet, and Lancet Digital Health, January 31, 2026, with results from March 2025
MASAI randomized trial of AI-supported mammography screening
Scope: 105,934 women randomized at four screening sites in southwest Sweden.
How it was done: Randomized trial. AI triaged exams to single or double reading and flagged findings. Radiologists still read every exam. Read from the published abstracts.
Limits: One vendor and one region of one country. Interval cancers were non-inferior, not proven lower. No mortality data in these reports.
Checked against the original on November 6, 2026.
Open the source (opens in a new tab)
Reading other routine images
Information work
Narrow use or authorization
- Established now
Radiology accounts for 1,039 FDA-authorized AI devices through 2025, far more than any other specialty.
What this does not prove: Counts show products exist. They don't show use, benefit or fewer radiologists.
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)
Complex and unusual cases
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.
Image-guided procedures
Hands-on work
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.
Advising the treating team
Human relationship
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.
Accountability for the final report
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.
Skills that transfer
- Anatomy and imaging
- Evaluating AI tools
- Procedural skill
- Informatics
What nobody has measured
- A rigorous measure of what AI has done to radiologist employment.
- What happens to trainees' reading practice if routine reads shrink.
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.
Send us the evidence