AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 39-5093.00
Will AI replace Shampooers?
Shampooers: AI can already handle 3 of 4 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
Have a team in this role?
Get your free 10-role sample: send this role and up to nine others, and a founder sends a board-pack PDF within two business days.
Every task, scored
The 4 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Shampooers, from most to least exposed. 3 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massage, shampoo, and condition patron's hair and scalp to clean them and remove excess oil. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Treat scalp conditions and hair loss, using specialized lotions, shampoos, or equipment such as infrared lamps or vibrating equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Advise patrons with chronic or potentially contagious scalp conditions to seek medical treatment. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Maintain treatment records. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 4 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 4 of 4. 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 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
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
- 8,070
- Median annual wage
- $32,600
- Middle half of earners
- $28,550 to $35,550
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +5.5%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 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.
- Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure32
- Barbers 63% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure31
- Skincare Specialists 56% skill overlap, about 16 months to move Exposure64
- Massage Therapists 55% skill overlap, about 16 months to move Exposure34
- Manicurists and Pedicurists 55% skill overlap, about 16 months to move Exposure62
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Shampooers and AI
Will AI replace Shampooers?
AI already handles 3 of the 4 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 57 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 +5.5% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Shampooers?
57 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. 0 of the 4 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 4 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Shampooers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Massage, shampoo, and condition patron's hair and scalp to clean them and remove excess oil; Treat scalp conditions and hair loss, using specialized lotions, shampoos, or equipment such as infrared lamps or vibrating equipment; Advise patrons with chronic or potentially contagious scalp conditions to seek medical treatment. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% 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 Shampooers, and what do they earn?
8,070 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $32,600 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +5.5% 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: Shampooers. 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/shampooers
Have a team in this role?
Get your free 10-role sample. Send this role and up to nine others, with no employee data, and a founder sends a PDF in board-pack format within two business days.
A founder replies within one business day.