Resilient
Last Update: 8/30/2026
AI Resilience Score for Vet Asst & Lab Animal Carer:
66.1%
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%).
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 forVeterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
$38,150 median salary•23,200 annual openings•SOC Code: 31-9096.00
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers are more resilient to AI impacts than most occupations, according to our analysis of 8 sources.
This career is labeled "Resilient" because the heart of the work, which includes feeding, comforting, handling, and providing first aid to animals, requires hands-on care, adaptive thinking, and genuine empathy that AI simply cannot replicate. While AI tools like automated monitoring systems and digital scribes are stepping in to handle paperwork and flag health concerns, they are designed to support veterinary workers rather than replace them.
Learn more about how you can thrive in this position
View analysis
Chat with Coach
Latest news
More career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreThis role is resilient
This career is labeled "Resilient" because the heart of the work, which includes feeding, comforting, handling, and providing first aid to animals, requires hands-on care, adaptive thinking, and genuine empathy that AI simply cannot replicate. While AI tools like automated monitoring systems and digital scribes are stepping in to handle paperwork and flag health concerns, they are designed to support veterinary workers rather than replace them.
Read full analysisLearn more about how you can thrive in this position
View analysisChat with CoachLatest newsMore career infoAnalysisChatNewsMoreAnalysis of Current AI Resilience
Vet Asst & Lab Animal Carer
Updated Quarterly
How is AI changing Vet Asst & Lab Animal Carer jobs?
Right now, AI is showing up in this career mostly on the paperwork side — the same tasks flagged with 70%+ automation risk. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association's July 2026 report [1], roughly 4 in 10 veterinary professionals now use AI regularly, and they see it as a tool that helps them organize information, draft records, flag potential abnormalities, or reduce time spent on repetitive tasks — not as a replacement for the humans caring for animals. A concrete example: UC Davis's teaching hospital adopted the ScribbleVet AI scribe, which records the appointment and streamlines SOAP notes so clinicians can finish records in minutes rather than hours.
On the lab-animal side, augmentation is even more visible. Researchers at ETH Zurich built GrimACE [2], which uses computer vision and machine learning for the automated assessment of laboratory animals' facial expressions and posture, and Disease Models & Mechanisms [3] documents growing use of automated home-cage monitoring. But hands-on tasks — feeding, comforting animals, first aid, and euthanasia support — still need people.
Sources
How fast is AI adoption growing for Vet Asst & Lab Animal Carer?
Adoption is moving quickly for administrative work because commercial scribes and monitoring systems are affordable, and staffing is painfully tight. Virginia Tech reports [4] that veterinary practices have roughly 14,300 technician openings annually while only about 7,500 graduates sit for the licensing exam each year, which pushes clinics to offload billing and notes to AI. Full automation of caretaker work will stay slow, though.
As Research.com's 2026 animal-science outlook explains [5], hands-on care during handling requires adaptive problem-solving and attentiveness to context that resist automation, and building trust involves empathy that AI cannot authentically provide. AVMA leaders also insist AI must support — not replace — professional judgment, meaning your role as a caring, observant human on the floor remains the heart of this job.
Sources
Will AI replace Vet Asst & Lab Animal Carer?
No. We don't think AI will replace Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, but it will change how the job looks day to day.
We gave this career a 66.1% AI Resilience Score because the core of the work is deeply physical and relational. Feeding animals, providing comfort, assisting with procedures, and recognizing when something is wrong with a living creature all require presence, judgment, and empathy that AI cannot authentically replicate [5]. Tools like AI scribes and automated facial-expression monitors are already in use (ethz.ch, journals.biologists.com), but they handle paperwork and data, not the hands-on care that defines this role.
Demand also supports a strong future here. Veterinary practices are already short-staffed, with roughly 14,300 technician openings filled annually against only about 7,500 new graduates entering the field [4]. That gap means clinics need more people, not fewer. AI stepping in on administrative tasks actually helps by freeing caretakers to focus on animals rather than screens. About 4 in 10 veterinary professionals already use AI as an organizational tool, and the professional consensus is clear: it supports human judgment rather than replacing it [1]. If you are considering this path, the outlook is genuinely encouraging.
Sources
Help us improve this report.
Tell us if this analysis feels accurate or we missed something.
Share your feedback
Latest AI news for Vet Asst & Lab Animal Carer
Not enough relevant articles found for this career field.
Not enough relevant articles found for this career field.
More Career Info
Career: Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers
They help care for animals by feeding them, cleaning their spaces, and assisting vets with treatments to keep the animals healthy and happy.
Parent Careers
Similar Careers
Employment & Wage Data
Median Wage
$38,150
Jobs (2025)
132,100
Growth (2025-35)
+9.1%
Annual Openings
23,200
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-2035
Task-Level AI Resilience Scores
AI-generated estimates of task resilience over the next 3 years
1
Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses.
2
Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals.
3
Exercise animals or provide them with companionship.
4
Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.
5
Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages.
6
Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures.
7
Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests.
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.
