The Task Exposure Indexv2026.Q3
Occupation · SOC 19-3039.03 · Job Zone 5

AI exposure: Clinical Neuropsychologists

Assess and diagnose patients with neurobehavioral problems related to acquired or developmental disorders of the nervous system, such as neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injury, seizure disorders, and learning disabilities. Recommend treatment after diagnosis, such as therapy, medication, or surgery. Assist with evaluation before and after neurosurgical procedures, such as deep brain stimulation.

Reading this score

computed

At 16.8% of weighted task load, Clinical Neuropsychologists sits at the 28th percentile, below the point where a job's centre of gravity has moved. 56.0% of what this role does is untouched, meaning current systems cannot produce that work at all, whatever the commercial incentive.

What holds the line here is context. Across this occupation's 18 tasks it averages 2.36 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work depends on knowledge the model cannot hold. Much of this job runs on things that were never written down: what this particular organisation does, what happened last week, what the person across the table actually meant. That context is the barrier, and it erodes as systems are given more access.

The most exposed thing this job does is Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports, at 73.3%. The least is Participate in educational programs, in-service training, or workshops to remain current in..., at 0.0%. A gap of 73.3% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.

Within life, physical and social science occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 36.3% across the group's 60 roles, with 57 scoring higher. Being in an exposed family does not make a particular job exposed, and the reverse holds too.

What would move this score. Of 18 tasks, 3 are currently banded exposed, 9 assisted and 6 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take a change in who is permitted to sign the work, which is a question for regulators rather than for engineers. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.

Where the score comes from

judged

Every task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.

DimensionMeanScale
Capability1.720-4
Embodiment0.890-3
Presence1.970-3
Accountability2.250-3
Context2.360-3
Verification cost2.280-3

Task by task

18 tasks, O*NET 31.0
TaskExposedAssistedUntouchedImportanceBand
Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports, using data from psychological or neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct observations, or interviews.73.3%26.7%0.0%5.00exposed
Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in neuropsychology.35.0%15.0%50.0%4.42exposed
Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories.26.7%23.3%50.0%5.00exposed
Establish neurobehavioral baseline measures for monitoring progressive cerebral disease or recovery.20.0%30.0%50.0%4.08assisted
Design or implement rehabilitation plans for patients with cognitive dysfunction.18.3%31.7%50.0%3.82assisted
Identify and communicate risks associated with specific neurological surgical procedures, such as epilepsy surgery.15.0%35.0%50.0%3.75assisted
Consult with other professionals about patients' neurological conditions.13.3%36.7%50.0%4.58assisted
Educate and supervise practicum students, psychology interns, or hospital staff.11.7%13.3%75.0%3.83untouched
Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensorimotor function, language, learning, and memory.10.0%15.0%75.0%5.00untouched
Diagnose and treat conditions involving injury to the central nervous system, such as cerebrovascular accidents, neoplasms, infectious or inflammatory diseases, degenerative diseases, head traumas, demyelinating diseases, and various forms of dementing illnesses.10.0%40.0%50.0%4.96assisted
Diagnose and treat pediatric populations for conditions such as learning disabilities with developmental or organic bases.10.0%40.0%50.0%4.68assisted
Distinguish between psychogenic and neurogenic syndromes, two or more suspected etiologies of cerebral dysfunction, or between disorders involving complex seizures.10.0%40.0%50.0%4.67assisted
Diagnose and treat neural and psychological conditions in medical and surgical populations, such as patients with early dementing illness or chronic pain with a neurological basis.10.0%40.0%50.0%4.62assisted
Diagnose and treat psychiatric populations for conditions such as somatoform disorder, dementias, and psychoses.10.0%40.0%50.0%4.36assisted
Compare patients' progress before and after pharmacologic, surgical, or behavioral interventions.6.7%18.3%75.0%4.04untouched
Provide education or counseling to individuals and families.3.3%21.7%75.0%4.67untouched
Provide psychotherapy, behavior therapy, or other counseling interventions to patients with neurological disorders.3.3%21.7%75.0%3.47untouched
Participate in educational programs, in-service training, or workshops to remain current in methods and techniques.0.0%0.0%100.0%4.04untouched

Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.

Occupations either side of this one

The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.

Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.

What this means in practice

Most of this work is not reachable by current systems, so the immediate pressure is on the administrative edges of the role rather than its core: the scheduling, the reporting, the written records. That is where time is recovered.