Will AI replace Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists?
AI reaches some of this job’s work, but most of it stays with people.
21/100
Moderate exposure
More exposed to AI than 37% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 10% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 27% of the work
What the job involves
Operate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners. Monitor patient safety and comfort, and view images of area being scanned to ensure quality of pictures. May administer gadolinium contrast dosage intravenously. May interview patient, explain MRI procedures, and position patient on examining table. May enter into the computer data such as patient history, anatomical area to be scanned, orientation specified, and position of entry.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Already happening(3)
- Take brief medical histories from patients.
- Write reports or notes to summarize testing procedures or outcomes for physicians or other medical professionals.
- Schedule appointments for research subjects or clinical patients.
Within reach(4)
- Select appropriate imaging techniques or coils to produce required images.
- Create backup copies of images by transferring images from disk to storage media or workstation.
- Explain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures to patients, patient representatives, or family members.
- Inspect images for quality, using magnetic resonance scanner equipment and laser camera.
Out of reach(15)
- Conduct screening interviews of patients to identify contraindications, such as ferrous objects, pregnancy, prosthetic heart valves, cardiac pacemakers, or tattoos.
- Operate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.
- Provide headphones or earplugs to patients to improve comfort and reduce unpleasant noise.
- Position patients on cradle, attaching immobilization devices, if needed, to ensure appropriate placement for imaging.
- Test magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment to ensure proper functioning and performance in accordance with specifications.
and 10 more
Also called
MRI Technologist (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist) · MRI Technologist · MRI Tech (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technician) · MRI Tech · MRI Coordinator (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Coordinator) · MRI QA Coordinator (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quality Assurance Coordinator) · MRI Radiographer (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Radiographer) · MRI Specialist (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Specialist)
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics