Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers. · 0.6%
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
Occupation · SOC 29-2011.00
Perform complex medical laboratory tests for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. May train or supervise staff.
Also called: Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) · Clinical Laboratory Technologist · Medical Lab Technologist (Medical Laboratory Technologist) · Medical Technologist (MT) · Clinical Chemist · Histologist Technologist · Lab Tech (Laboratory Technologist) · MLS (Medical Laboratory Scientist) · Microbiology Technologist (MT) · Technologist · Biochemistry Technologist · Blood Bank Laboratory Technologist
Job family: Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-29-2011-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers. · 95.3% need a human
- Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments. · 73.5% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Moderate AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans augmentation
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (78th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (46th)
46th-percentile task overlap — yet observed AI use leans 4286% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 56th | 0.3 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 38th | 0.4 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.4). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.9 · 78th percentile among occupations · High
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments. | 2.0% | |
| Analyze laboratory findings to check the accuracy of the results. | 1.8% | |
| Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers. | 1.7% | |
| Analyze samples of biological material for chemical content or reaction. | 0.3% |
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists sits at the 58th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
31% mean task exposure (2025)
58th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and Pathology Laboratory Technicians · 3212 | 31% | Minimal |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 42.9% working with AI · — handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Learning · you ask AI to explain or teach |
| Typical AI autonomy | 3.5 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 38.8% |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers. | Learning | 0.6% |
| Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments. | — | 0.3% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers. | 95.3% | |
| Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments. | 73.5% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers.From: Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers. · 0.6% of measured AI use · learning
-
Help me develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments.From: Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments. · 0.3% of measured AI use
Tasks
All 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Analyze samples of biological material for chemical content or reaction. Core · importance 4.8
- Analyze laboratory findings to check the accuracy of the results. Core · importance 4.8
- Conduct chemical analysis of body fluids, including blood, urine, or spinal fluid, to determine presence of normal or abnormal components. Core · importance 4.8
- Enter data from analysis of medical tests or clinical results into computer for storage. Core · importance 4.8
- Collect and study blood samples to determine the number of cells, their morphology, or their blood group, blood type, or compatibility for transfusion purposes, using microscopic techniques. Core · importance 4.7
- Set up, clean, and maintain laboratory equipment. Core · importance 4.7
- Operate, calibrate, or maintain equipment used in quantitative or qualitative analysis, such as spectrophotometers, calorimeters, flame photometers, or computer-controlled analyzers. Core · importance 4.7
- Establish or monitor quality assurance programs or activities to ensure the accuracy of laboratory results. Core · importance 4.7
- Supervise, train, or direct lab assistants, medical and clinical laboratory technicians or technologists, or other medical laboratory workers engaged in laboratory testing. Core · importance 4.7
- Select and prepare specimens and media for cell cultures, using aseptic technique and knowledge of medium components and cell requirements. Supplemental · importance 4.6
- Obtain, cut, stain, and mount biological material on slides for microscopic study and diagnosis, following standard laboratory procedures. Supplemental · importance 4.5
- Cultivate, isolate, or assist in identifying microbial organisms or perform various tests on these microorganisms. Core · importance 4.5
- Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers. Core · importance 4.3
- Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments. Core · importance 4.3
- Harvest cell cultures at optimum time, based on knowledge of cell cycle differences and culture conditions. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Conduct medical research under direction of microbiologist or biochemist. Supplemental
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Conduct blood typing and antibody screening.
Work activities
- Develop healthcare quality and safety procedures.
- Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems.
- Collect biological specimens from patients.
- Analyze laboratory findings.
- Operate laboratory equipment to analyze medical samples.
- Maintain medical laboratory equipment.
- Enter patient or treatment data into computers.
- Clean medical equipment or facilities.
- Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use.
- Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members.
- Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
- Train medical providers.
- Supervise technical medical personnel.
- Determine protocols for medical procedures.
- Cultivate micro-organisms for study, testing, or medical preparations.
- Prepare biological specimens for laboratory analysis.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.3 | |
| Near Vision | 4.3 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.1 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.1 | |
| Information Ordering | 4.1 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.9 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.6 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.5 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.4 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.4 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.4 | |
| Control Precision | 3.4 | |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.4 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.4 | |
| Written Expression | 3.3 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.3 |
Knowledge
| Chemistry | 4.2 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.2 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 4.1 | |
| English Language | 4.0 | |
| Biology | 3.9 | |
| Mathematics | 3.9 | |
| Administrative | 3.9 | |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3.8 | |
| Education and Training | 3.8 | |
| Mechanical | 3.6 |
Essential skills
| Science | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Monitoring | 3.5 | |
| Active Learning | 3.4 | |
| Writing | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.8 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.4 | |
| Time Management | 3.4 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Biological and Biomedical Sciences , Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 52.1% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 13.9% | |
| Some College Courses | 1.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Investigative | 6.2 | |
| Realistic | 5.8 | |
| Conventional | 5.0 | |
| Social | 2.8 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 6.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 5.0 | |
| Integrity | 4.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 3.0 |
Interest areas
| Life Science | 5.8 | |
| Medical Science | 5.6 | |
| Health Care Service | 5.4 | |
| Physical Science | 4.3 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.3 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 3.1 | |
| Engineering | 2.5 | |
| Information Technology | 2.4 |
Related occupations
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians · 29-2012.00 Compare →
- Histotechnologists · 29-2011.04 Compare →
- Cytogenetic Technologists · 29-2011.01 Compare →
- Histology Technicians · 29-2012.01 Compare →
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians · 29-2031.00 Compare →
- Nuclear Medicine Technologists · 29-2033.00 Compare →
- Cytotechnologists · 29-2011.02 Compare →
- Neurodiagnostic Technologists · 29-2099.01 Compare →
- Phlebotomists · 31-9097.00 Compare →
- Biological Technicians · 19-4021.00 Compare →
- Microbiologists · 19-1022.00 Compare →
- Physicians, Pathologists · 29-1222.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences · field of study
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 58th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists sit at the 46th percentile of AI task overlap among U.S. occupations
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists rank in the 46th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 43% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists sit at the 46th percentile of AI task overlap among U.S. occupations • Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists rank in the 46th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 43% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-2011-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-2011-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-2011-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-29-2011-00,
title = {Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-2011-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.