AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 27-2011.00
Will AI replace Actors?
Actors: AI can already handle 16 of 18 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 18 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Actors, from most to least exposed. 16 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write original or adapted material for dramas, comedies, puppet shows, narration, or other performances. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Work with other crew members responsible for lighting, costumes, make-up, and props. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Tell jokes, perform comic dances, songs and skits, impersonate mannerisms and voices of others, contort face, and use other devices to amuse audiences. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Read from scripts or books to narrate action or to inform or entertain audiences, utilizing few or no stage props. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Promote productions using means such as interviews about plays or movies. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Prepare and perform action stunts for motion picture, television, or stage productions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Dress in comical clown costumes and makeup, and perform comedy routines to entertain audiences. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform original and stock tricks of illusion to entertain and mystify audiences, occasionally including audience members as participants. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences. | Observed | Standard | |
| Introduce performances and performers to stimulate excitement and coordinate smooth transition of acts during events. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Construct puppets and ventriloquist dummies, and sew accessory clothing, using hand tools and machines. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 18 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 16 of 18. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 91% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 96% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 4% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) publishes no national employment or wage figure for this O*NET occupation. BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +0.3% from 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Dancers 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure34
- Musicians and Singers 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure67
- Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure69
- Talent Directors 61% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure61
- Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes 59% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure64
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Actors and AI
Will AI replace Actors?
AI already handles 16 of the 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 69 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +0.3% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Actors?
69 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 2 of the 18 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 16 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Actors tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Write original or adapted material for dramas, comedies, puppet shows, narration, or other performances; Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble; Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles. They are three of the 16 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 91% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Actors. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/actors
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