Resilient
Last Update: 7/31/2026
AI Resilience Score for Respiratory Therapists:
77.2%
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%).
High
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%).
High
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 forRespiratory Therapists
$82,280 median salary•8,800 annual openings•SOC Code: 29-1126.00
Respiratory Therapists are more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 6 sources.
Respiratory therapy is labeled "Resilient" because the heart of this job, including hands-on patient care, emergency response, and real-time bedside judgment, is extremely difficult for AI to replicate. While smart ventilators and AI diagnostic tools are getting better at tasks like spotting breathing pattern errors and shortening time on ventilators, a respiratory therapist still needs to set up equipment, respond to alarms, comfort anxious patients, and make quick calls that require human instinct and experience.
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Respiratory therapy is labeled "Resilient" because the heart of this job, including hands-on patient care, emergency response, and real-time bedside judgment, is extremely difficult for AI to replicate. While smart ventilators and AI diagnostic tools are getting better at tasks like spotting breathing pattern errors and shortening time on ventilators, a respiratory therapist still needs to set up equipment, respond to alarms, comfort anxious patients, and make quick calls that require human instinct and experience.
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Respiratory Therapists
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Respiratory Therapists jobs?
Right now, AI in respiratory care is mostly helping therapists — not replacing them. A 2026 scoping review in npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine found that in pulmonary function testing, algorithms detect technical errors and classify spirometric patterns, some claiming to outperforming pulmonologists, and that for monitoring and prediction, AI helps shorten weaning from mechanical ventilation and guides closed-loop strategies for acute respiratory distress. A July 2025 Cochrane review of automated weaning systems found they probably reduce the time on the ventilator by around 24%, or 1.7 days in adults and 16 hours in children, and probably reduce the length of stay in the intensive care unit by around 14%.
So the ventilator itself is getting smarter, but a respiratory therapist still has to set it up, watch the patient, troubleshoot alarms, and make judgment calls. Hands-on tasks like emergency CPR, patient transport, and bedside lung-capacity tests [1] — which O*NET rates as only 4–8% automatable — remain firmly human work. Even the AARC's 2026–2028 Strategic Plan [2] frames AI as "knowledge assistance" to support members, not a replacement for them.
How fast is AI adoption growing for Respiratory Therapists?
Adoption is moving steadily but cautiously. On the "speed up" side, hospitals face a real labor crunch: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of respiratory therapists will grow 12% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with about 8,800 openings each year [1], and Fusion Medical Staffing notes a wave of retirements and rising chronic lung disease driving demand [3]. That shortage pushes hospitals to buy smart ventilators and AI diagnostic tools that stretch each RT further.
Slowing things down: a Frontiers in Digital Health review notes the field is still in an "evolution phase," needing widely accepted standards before broad clinical use [4], and the Nature review warns that realizing these benefits will require rigorous multicentre validation and real-world evidence, plus proactive bias detection and mitigation with inclusive sampling and equity audits. Capital costs for new ventilator fleets, FDA oversight, and patient-safety culture all slow the rollout. The encouraging takeaway: AI is reshaping the tools RTs use, but the empathy, quick thinking, and physical care this job demands keep humans firmly at the bedside.
Sources
Will AI replace Respiratory Therapists?
No. We don't think AI will replace Respiratory Therapists, but the tools they use are getting smarter fast.
We give this career a 77.2% AI Resilience Score, and the evidence backs it up. AI is already helping RTs work more efficiently: automated weaning systems probably reduce time on a ventilator by around 24% and shorten ICU stays, and algorithms can flag errors in pulmonary function tests [4]. But the ventilator getting smarter does not mean the therapist becomes unnecessary. Someone still has to set it up, respond to alarms, make judgment calls at 2 a.m., and actually be present with a scared patient struggling to breathe. Those hands-on, high-stakes moments are not going away.
The job market reinforces this. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 12% employment growth from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 8,800 openings each year [1]. A wave of retirements and rising chronic lung disease are driving demand [3], and the AARC frames AI as a knowledge-assistance tool for its members, not a replacement [2].
If you are considering this career, lean into the clinical judgment, communication, and emergency response skills that AI simply cannot replicate.
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Latest AI news for Respiratory Therapists
These articles highlight the transformative role of AI in respiratory therapy, emphasizing how it will enhance diagnostic accuracy and patient care. For instance, the collaborative strategies discussed in the Nature article can help respiratory therapists work alongside AI to improve diagnoses of conditions like acute respiratory distress syndrome. Additionally, the FDA's clearance of AI-driven diagnostic tools, such as Fibresolve, underscores the importance of integrating technology into practice, offering therapists new ways to support patient health. Embracing these advancements can foster AI resilience in your career, ensuring you remain at the forefront of respiratory care.
The rise of artificial intelligence in respiratory primary care and pulmonology: a scoping review
www.nature.com • 2/24/2026
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing respiratory disease management, from diagnosis to population lung health.
New online course from Purdue explores near-ubiquitous impact of AI in health care
www.purdue.edu • 4/29/2025
Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare, a new 100% online course from Purdue University, is designed to equip health care professionals with...
Are AI-Powered Robots the Future of Respiratory Health Care?
www.ajmc.com • 9/17/2024
Introducing artificial intelligence (AI)–powered robots like AMECA into health care comes with potential benefits like improved clinical...
FDA Clears AI-Powered Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Diagnostic
respiratory-therapy.com • 1/16/2024
The US FDA has granted De Novo marketing authorization for Fibresolve, a digital biomarker that receives and analyzes lung computed tomography (CT) imaging...
Collaborative strategies for deploying artificial intelligence to complement physician diagnoses of acute respiratory distress syndrome
www.nature.com • 4/8/2023
We investigate four potential strategies for AI model deployment and physician collaboration to determine their potential impact on diagnostic accuracy.
More Career Info
Career: Respiratory Therapists
They help people breathe better by treating lung problems, giving oxygen, and teaching patients how to use breathing equipment.
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Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$82,280
Jobs (2024)
139,600
Growth (2024-34)
+12.1%
Annual Openings
8,800
Education
Associate'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
Provide emergency care, such as artificial respiration, external cardiac massage, or assistance with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
2
Monitor cardiac patients, using electrocardiography devices, such as a holter monitor.
3
Perform endotracheal intubation to maintain open airways for patients who are unable to breathe on their own.
4
Transport patients to the hospital or within the hospital.
5
Perform bronchopulmonary drainage and assist or instruct patients in performance of breathing exercises.
6
Conduct tests, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), stress testing, or lung capacity tests, to evaluate patients' cardiopulmonary functions.
7
Use a variety of testing techniques to assist doctors in cardiac or pulmonary research or to diagnose disorders.
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.
