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The AI Resilience Report helps you understand how AI is likely to impact your current or future career. Drawing on data from over 1,500 occupations, it provides a clear snapshot to support informed career decisions.
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Resilient
Last Update: 4/23/2026
Your role’s AI Resilience Score is
67.0%
Median Score
Meaningful human contribution
Measures the parts of the occupation that still require a human touch. This score averages data from up to four AI exposure datasets, focusing on the role’s resilience against automation.
High
Long-term employer demand
Predicts the health of the job market for this role through 2034. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it balances projected annual job openings (60%) with overall employment growth (40%).
Med
Sustained economic opportunity
Measures future earning potential and career flexibility. This score is a blend of total projected labor income (67%) and the role’s inherent ability to adapt to economic and technological shifts (33%).
Med
This reflects the reliability of your score based on the number of data sources available for this career and how closely those sources agree on the outlook. A higher confidence means more consistent evidence from labor experts and AI models.
Most data sources align, with only minor variation. This is a well-supported result.
Contributing sources
AI Resilience Report forOrthotists and Prosthetists
Orthotists and Prosthetists are more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 6 sources.
The career of an orthotist and prosthetist is labeled as "Resilient" because it relies heavily on human skills like empathy, hands-on adjustment, and patient teaching, which AI can't replicate. While technology like CAD and 3D scanning assists in designing devices, the core tasks of fitting, fine-tuning, and educating patients require a personal touch.
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The career of an orthotist and prosthetist is labeled as "Resilient" because it relies heavily on human skills like empathy, hands-on adjustment, and patient teaching, which AI can't replicate. While technology like CAD and 3D scanning assists in designing devices, the core tasks of fitting, fine-tuning, and educating patients require a personal touch.
Read full analysisAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Orthotists & Prosthetists
Updated Quarterly • Last Update: 2/17/2026
How is AI changing Orthotists & Prosthetists jobs?
Orthotists and prosthetists still do most work by hand, but some technology helps. Clinicians increasingly use computer‐aided design (CAD) and 3D scanning to build braces and prosthetic parts. For example, a UK survey found 70% of orthotic services use CAD/CAM for making custom insoles [1], and one study reported 88% of digital users employing 3D scans of patients’ feet or limbs [1].
Researchers are even developing AI-based tools: machine‐learning algorithms have been tested to choose or adjust prostheses for a patient [2]. However, these AI tools are mostly in research now, not yet in everyday use [2].
Other tasks remain mostly manual or use simple software. Patient records are kept in electronic health systems, and AI voice‐to‐text tools (like Dragon) are being tried by doctors to draft notes [1], but general charts and coding still need human entry. Core care tasks still rely on people: O*NET lists fitting and fine-tuning devices and teaching patients as the top job duties [3], and studies note that virtual tools can’t capture the nuances of an in-person fitting [1].
In fact, O*NET rates this job only ~14% automated [3]. Publishing research or learning new methods (15% and 10% automation potential) involve critical thinking and communication, so they remain in human hands. In short, technology like CAD and EHRs augments orthotists’ work on design and data, but the hands-on, personal parts of the job still need skilled professionals [1] [3].
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Orthotists & Prosthetists?
Putting AI into orthotics/prosthetics is possible but faces hurdles. High-tech tools can be expensive: the UK study noted that equipment cost and staff training were the biggest barriers to using CAD/CAM [1]. Since there are only around 9,000 prosthetists/orthotists in the US, companies may not rush to build custom AI products for so few users.
Healthcare is also tightly regulated, so any “smart” device must be proven safe. Some clinicians are cautious: one survey found practitioners in Singapore, for example, were “less certain” that the future would be all digital [1]. Many hospitals and clinics still rely on tried-and-true methods, and patients often trust a real person to fit and explain their devices.
On the other hand, there are reasons adoption could grow. Clinicians who use digital tech report benefits: 77% said it improved patient outcomes during COVID-era care [1]. AI and software can save time on routine work (like drafting notes or prototyping designs), letting specialists focus on patients.
As these tools prove they help people, more clinics may buy them. In short, AI will likely augment this career – for instance by speeding up design or records – rather than replace orthotists. Human skills like empathy, hands-on adjustment, and patient teaching stay essential, so experts say orthotists should stay open to new tools while knowing their irreplaceable role [1] [1].
Sources
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More Career Info
Career: Orthotists and Prosthetists
They design and fit devices like braces and artificial limbs to help people move better and improve their quality of life.
Parent Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$78,310
Jobs (2024)
10,100
Growth (2024-34)
+13.3%
Annual Openings
900
Education
Master's degree
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort.
2
Construct and fabricate appliances or supervise others constructing the appliances.
3
Make and modify plaster casts of areas that will be fitted with prostheses or orthoses, for use in the device construction process.
4
Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit.
5
Train and supervise support staff, such as orthopedic and prosthetic assistants and technicians.
6
Confer with physicians to formulate specifications and prescriptions for orthopedic or prosthetic devices.
7
Update skills and knowledge by attending conferences and seminars.
Tasks are ranked by their AI resilience, with the most resilient tasks shown first. Core tasks are essential functions of this occupation, while supplemental tasks provide additional context.
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