AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 29-1129.01

Will AI replace Art Therapists?

Art Therapists: AI can already handle 8 of 25 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 25 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Art Therapists, from most to least exposed. 8 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of treatments or therapy approaches. 80 Estimated Standard 3.6
Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes. 65 Estimated Standard 4.5
Interpret the artistic creations of clients to assess their functioning, needs, or progress. 65 Estimated Standard 4.1
Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms. 65 Estimated Standard 4.0
Review research or literature in art therapy, psychology, or related disciplines. 65 Estimated Standard 3.6
Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for art therapy. 60 Estimated Standard 4.1
Establish goals or objectives for art therapy sessions in consultation with clients or site administrators. 60 Estimated Frontier 4.0
Recommend or purchase needed art supplies or equipment. 60 Estimated Frontier 3.9
Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.7
Confer with other professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans. 50 Estimated Standard 4.5
Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.5
Coordinate art showcases to display artwork produced by clients. 50 Estimated Frontier 2.6
Coordinate field trips for client groups to museums or other public displays of art. 50 Estimated Standard 2.2
Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups. 40 Observed Standard 4.4
Teach art therapy techniques or processes to artists, interns, volunteers, or others. 35 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art therapy. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.7
Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments. 30 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Select or prepare artistic media or related equipment or devices to accomplish therapy session objectives. 30 Estimated Standard 4.3
Customize art therapy programs for specific client populations, such as those in schools, nursing homes, wellness centers, prisons, shelters, or hospitals. 30 Estimated Standard 4.0
Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns. 30 Estimated Standard 3.9
Gather client information from sources such as case documentation, client observation, or interviews of client or family members. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community. 30 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Photograph or videotape client artwork for inclusion in client records or for promotional purposes. 30 Estimated Efficient 2.9
Talk with clients during art or other therapy sessions to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to the artistic process. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 25 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 24 of 25. 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 frontier-tier model or lower covers 95% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 95% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 5% 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

US employment
22,640
Median annual wage
$77,930
Middle half of earners
$58,850 to $105,760
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+11.5%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034. BLS publishes these figures by SOC code, so O*NET occupations that share a SOC code show the same figures.

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.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Art Therapists and AI

Will AI replace Art Therapists?

AI already handles 8 of the 25 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 45 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 +11.5% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Art Therapists?

45 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. 1 of the 25 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 24 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Art Therapists tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of treatments or therapy approaches; Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes; Interpret the artistic creations of clients to assess their functioning, needs, or progress. They are three of the 8 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 95% 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 many people work as Art Therapists, and what do they earn?

22,640 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $77,930 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +11.5% from 2024 to 2034.

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: Art Therapists. 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/art-therapists

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