Artificial intelligence is creating jobs in healthcare, not destroying them - and New York is the proof. The state's leading sector for job creation is using AI to expand employment, speed up drug discovery, and improve patient care.
In laboratories across New York, AI systems are analyzing massive biological and chemical datasets to identify new ways to target disease. These tools help researchers make better-informed decisions, accelerate scientific discovery, and develop advanced treatment techniques. The FDA reviewed more than 500 drug and biological product submissions containing AI components from 2016 through 2023, spanning nonclinical research, clinical development, manufacturing, and postmarket monitoring.
Scientists still test the findings, assess safety, and decide whether a treatment should advance. AI gives them more powerful tools to do that work.
Radiology: The prediction that didn't come true
Radiology was supposed to be the clearest case of AI replacing humans. In 2016, Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton said "people should stop training radiologists now," predicting the profession would be obsolete within five years. A decade later, that prediction hasn't come close to materializing.
New York alone has a $6.1 billion radiology industry, 1,890 employed radiologists, and roughly 13,060 radiologic technologists and technicians. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, radiology jobs are projected to grow at a faster-than-average 5% from 2024 to 2034. PubMed projects the number of practitioners will expand by at least 26% over the next three decades.
AI is helping make that growth possible. Technology isn't replacing doctors - it's working alongside them. Tasks that once consumed significant amounts of a radiologist's time can now be completed much faster, freeing doctors to focus on patient care, communication with colleagues, and complex clinical decisions.
AI-enabled tools are improving care
Of the nearly 1,400 AI-enabled medical devices authorized by the FDA, about three-quarters were developed for radiology. One study of more than 100,000 women found that AI-assisted mammography helped doctors detect hard-to-find signs of breast cancer more often in routine screenings. It also reduced the time physicians spent staring at screens by 44%.
That's the practical promise of this technology: more efficient professions and better care for patients. For healthcare professionals, this means AI tools are becoming standard equipment - not threats to their roles. The technology handles time-consuming tasks while clinicians focus on the human aspects of care that algorithms can't replicate.
Healthcare workers who understand how to use these tools effectively will be better positioned as the field evolves. AI for Healthcare training now covers these practical applications, and specialized programs like the AI Learning Path for Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives address AI's role in drug development and medical sales.
Why this matters for healthcare professionals
For radiologists, technicians, researchers, and other healthcare workers, the data is clear: AI is expanding the field, not shrinking it. The FDA approved nearly 1,400 AI-enabled medical devices, most for radiology. Job growth projections exceed the national average. And AI-assisted tools are producing measurable improvements in both workload and patient outcomes.
The message for healthcare professionals is direct: learn to work with AI now. The tools are already in use across New York's hospitals and labs, and the industry is investing in AI-enabled approaches. Professionals who develop these skills will be the ones leading the field as it continues to grow.
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