Job Check
Histology Technicians
Prepare histological slides from tissue sections for microscopic examination and diagnosis by pathologists. May assist with research studies.
8 main tasks · most important first
Your main tasks and AI
Importance- 01Cut sections of body tissues for microscopic examination, using microtomes.Mostly human for now
- 02Embed tissue specimens into paraffin wax blocks, or infiltrate tissue specimens with wax.Mostly human for now
- 03Mount tissue specimens on glass slides.Mostly human for now
- 04Stain tissue specimens with dyes or other chemicals to make cell details visible under microscopes.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 05Freeze tissue specimens.Mostly human for now
- 06Operate computerized laboratory equipment to dehydrate, decalcify, or microincinerate tissue samples.Mostly human for now
- 07Archive diagnostic material, such as histologic slides and blocks.AI could speed this up, with extra tools
- 08Maintain laboratory equipment, such as microscopes, mass spectrometers, microtomes, immunostainers, tissue processors, embedding centers, and water baths.Mostly human for now
Tasks from O*NET® 31.0 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0, changed by us), most important first. “Already use” comes from Anthropic’s data on real work chats with Claude; “could speed up” from task ratings made with GPT-4 in 2023.
Four studies, side by side
None is a forecast of job loss13%of this job’s tasks an AI model could do in half the time, counting tasks that need extra tools as half (rated in 2023).Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, 2023
Above 86% of jobsin how much of this job’s physical work robots have been shown to do, from factories to homes (2026).Anthropic, 2026
Your human edge
The main tasks with no real AI use seen and no big speed-up expected. This is where your skill counts most today.
- Cut sections of body tissues for microscopic examination, using microtomes.
- Embed tissue specimens into paraffin wax blocks, or infiltrate tissue specimens with wax.
- Mount tissue specimens on glass slides.