Ventilators now adjust some settings automatically, and hospital monitoring systems use algorithms to flag patients whose breathing is getting worse. Respiratory therapists are the people who examine those patients, run the tests and treatments, and act when the numbers change.
The short answer: current evidence does not point to AI replacing respiratory therapists. In the ILO's 2025 index, respiratory therapists fall in the group "health professionals not elsewhere classified", rated not exposed to generative AI with a score of 0.20. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 9 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 8,600 openings a year. Projections are estimates, not guarantees.
How exposed respiratory therapists are
The International Labour Organization scores occupations' tasks from 0 (cannot be automated with generative AI) to 1 (could be done without a human operator), and groups them into gradients from 1 to 4, with 4 the most exposed; below them sit minimal exposure and not exposed (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025).
| Occupation (ISCO-08) | ILO category | Mean task score (0 to 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Professionals Not Elsewhere Classified | Not exposed | 0.20 |
The ILO scores groups of occupations, so this is the closest group rather than a score for respiratory therapists alone.
What the BLS projects
| Occupation | Projected change 2025 to 2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Respiratory therapists | Grow 9% | About 8,600 |
The job usually needs an associate's degree in respiratory therapy, and the BLS notes a license is required in every state except Alaska.
Where AI is helping
- Monitoring alerts that flag patients whose oxygen or breathing is worsening.
- Ventilator modes that adjust some settings automatically.
- Reading and summarizing pulmonary function test results.
- Drafting notes and patient education material.
What stays with the respiratory therapist
- Patients: examining people with breathing problems and treating them at the bedside.
- Teamwork: consulting with physicians on treatment plans.
- Teaching: showing patients how to use medications and equipment at home.
- Checking AI help: alerts and summaries can be confidently wrong, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). See checking AI output.
How the job is changing
More data and more automated equipment reach the bedside, and the therapist decides what to trust and what to do. This page is about jobs and is not medical advice.
See also will AI replace nurses?, will AI replace physical therapists? and will AI replace paramedics?
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for respiratory therapists at $82,280 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. The typical education needed to enter is: associate's degree. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace respiratory therapists?
Not on current evidence. The ILO group that includes them is rated not exposed to generative AI, and the BLS projects 9 percent growth from 2025 to 2035.
Can automated ventilators replace respiratory therapists?
They adjust some settings, but therapists still assess patients, set and change treatment and respond when things go wrong.
How many respiratory therapist openings are expected?
The BLS projects about 8,600 openings a year, on average, over the decade.
What does it take to become a respiratory therapist?
The BLS lists an associate's degree in respiratory therapy as typical, and a license is required in every state except Alaska.