Will AI replace Veterinarians?
AI can do 32% of the work Veterinarians do at least twice as fast. People already use it for 1 of their 21 tasks, while 9 more are ready but barely used so far. 11 still need a person.
AI is already doing this1 · 8% of time
People already use AI for these tasks in real work, based on Anthropic's analysis of how Claude is used.
- Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.Mostly automated8% of time
AI could do this next9 · 24% of time
AI can speed these up by at least half, but real use has not caught up yet. These are next in line.
- Perform administrative or business management tasks, such as scheduling appointments, accepting payments from clients, budgeting, or maintaining business records.9% of time
- Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.6% of time
- Attend lectures, conferences, or continuing education courses.2% of time
- Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets.2% of time
- Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.1% of time
- Establish or conduct quarantine or testing procedures that prevent the spread of diseases to other animals or to humans and that comply with applicable government regulations.1% of time
- Conduct postmortem studies and analyses to determine the causes of animals' deaths.1% of time
- Plan or execute animal nutrition or reproduction programs.1% of time
- Research diseases to which animals could be susceptible.1% of time
Still needs a person11 · 68% of time
No real AI use, no proven AI speedup and no robot that can do it yet. This is the part of the job to build on.
- Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.24% of time
- Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.17% of time
- Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.6% of time
- Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.4% of time
- Train or supervise workers who handle or care for animals.4% of time
- Direct the overall operations of animal hospitals, clinics, or mobile services to farms.3% of time
- Euthanize animals.2% of time
- Specialize in a particular type of treatment, such as dentistry, pathology, nutrition, surgery, microbiology, or internal medicine.2% of time
- Inspect and test horses, sheep, poultry, or other animals to detect the presence of communicable diseases.2% of time
- Provide care to a wide range of animals or specialize in a particular species, such as horses or exotic birds.1% of time
- Determine the effects of drug therapies, antibiotics, or new surgical techniques by testing them on animals.1% of time
Your week is not the average
Describe what you actually do and get a personal report: your own tasks, what AI can already do, what stays yours and a 90 day plan.
What this means
AI can speed up parts of this job, mostly the paperwork and information work around it. The core still depends on hands, presence or relationships.
What to do next
- Do the 1 task AI is already handling with AI yourself. Your peers already are, and it is quickly becoming the baseline.
- Get ahead on the 9 tasks AI could do next. These move as tools improve, so learning them early pays off.
- Build on the 11 tasks that stay human. This is where your judgment, skill and relationships matter most.
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