Assessing the Risk of Unemployment Amid Rising Artificial Intelligence Integration : Automation in Vascular Medicine

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into vascular medicine is transforming clinical practice, particularly in diagnostic imaging, vascular mapping, and automated procedural planning. While these advancements promise improved precision and efficiency, they also raise concerns about the future of work for professionals whose roles intersect with increasingly autonomous technologies. This qualitative study explores how vascular clinicians, technologists, and healthcare administrators perceive the potential risk of unemployment, job displacement, and role restructuring as AI adoption expands across vascular care settings. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and an interpretive thematic analysis, the study reveals a complex mixture of optimism and apprehension. Participants acknowledged the clinical benefits of AI while expressing concern about skill redundancy, diminishing professional autonomy, and institutional unpreparedness for workforce transitions. The findings show that the perceived risk of unemployment stems less from the technology itself and more from uncertainty surrounding how AI will be implemented, governed, and integrated into daily workflows. The study concludes that AI is reshaping professional identities and redistributing tasks rather than simply replacing jobs, highlighting the need for proactive upskilling, ethical guidelines, and policy frameworks to support a human-centered approach to AI integration in vascular medicine.