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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Art Therapists?
Task-level automation exposure for Art Therapists: 25 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
45%
weighted task index
25 of 25 tasks scored
Median Salary
$77,930 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
22,640 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+12.6%
employment change
3,600 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 41 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$38,260 – $127,010
Highest medians
District of Columbia $127,010
Illinois $116,200
New Jersey $100,250
Hawaii $99,560
Washington $98,550
Lowest medians
Nevada $38,260
Mississippi $44,280
Connecticut $47,300
Maryland $49,400
Tennessee $56,690
State figures come from the 29-1129 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 45%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 9%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 65%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 14%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 11/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
25 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 13%
4 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 61%
15 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 26%
6 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 08/2026 · Occupational Expert
Document and securely store client artwork in compliance with privacy laws, ethical guidelines, and facility requirements.
- New 08/2026 · Occupational Expert
Provide crisis intervention by contacting emergency personnel and facilitating treatment coordination during client emergencies.
Constituent Tasks
#19143 · Core · 15% automatable
Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments.
interpersonal — Psychological therapy requires live human therapeutic presence
Treat patients using psychological therapies.
#19153 · Core · 15% automatable
Talk with clients during art or other therapy sessions to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to the artistic process.
interpersonal — Rapport and emotional support require live human presence
Interact with patients to build rapport or provide emotional support.
#19154 · Core · 56% automatable
Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.
text generation — Summarize diagnostic and care activities into reports
Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies. Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
#19141 · Core · 57% automatable
Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes.
data analysis — Outcome analysis from records, clinician interprets
Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments. Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
#19146 · Core · 45% automatable
Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives.
decision support — Draft non-medical plans; clinician validates and owns
Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
#19151 · Core · 49% automatable
Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art therapy.
interpersonal — Patient history requires live elicitation and judgment
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments. Record patient medical histories.
#19147 · Core · 45% automatable
Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques.
decision support — Draft non-medical plans; clinician validates and owns
Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
#19148 · Core · 48% automatable
Establish goals or objectives for art therapy sessions in consultation with clients or site administrators.
decision support — Goal drafting aided; accountability rests with clinician
Establish treatment goals.
#19161 · Core · 28% automatable
Select or prepare artistic media or related equipment or devices to accomplish therapy session objectives.
decision support — Medical equipment selection needs patient exam and accountability
Select medical equipment for addressing patient needs. Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use.
#19142 · Core · 55% automatable
Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms.
information retrieval — Relaying results is structured; interpretation stays human
Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
#19145 · Core · 45% automatable
Customize art therapy programs for specific client populations, such as those in schools, nursing homes, wellness centers, prisons, shelters, or hospitals.
decision support — Draft non-medical plans; clinician validates and owns
Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
#19144 · Core · 40% automatable
Confer with other professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans.
interpersonal — Treatment planning collaboration is accountable clinical work
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
#19159 · Core · 70% automatable
Recommend or purchase needed art supplies or equipment.
decision support — Medical supply ordering via systems; human approves
Order medical supplies or equipment.
#19150 · Core · 57% automatable
Interpret the artistic creations of clients to assess their functioning, needs, or progress.
data analysis — Outcome analysis from records, clinician interprets
Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments. Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
#19158 · Core · 43% automatable
Gather client information from sources such as case documentation, client observation, or interviews of client or family members.
information retrieval — History extraction aided; patient interaction human
Gather medical information from patient histories. Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
#19160 · Core · 75% automatable
Review research or literature in art therapy, psychology, or related disciplines.
information retrieval — AI summarizes medical updates; human retains judgment
Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
#19140 · Core · 55% automatable
Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for art therapy.
decision support — Treatment goals need clinical accountability and context
Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
#19139 · Core · 68% automatable
Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of treatments or therapy approaches.
data analysis — Quantitative treatment efficacy analysis; researcher verifies
Analyze quantitative data to determine effectiveness of treatments or therapies.
#19149 · Core · 43% automatable
Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn.
interpersonal — Course content AI-assisted; live teaching and assessment human
Teach classes in area of specialization. Lead classes or community events.
#19162 · Core · 25% automatable
Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns.
interpersonal — Patient care supervision is live clinical leadership
Supervise patient care personnel.
#19155 · Core · 62% automatable
Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community.
text generation — Health messaging drafted by AI; public delivery human
Communicate health and wellness information to the public.
#19152 · Core · 25% automatable
Photograph or videotape client artwork for inclusion in client records or for promotional purposes.
visual inspection — Capturing relevant images in field is human act
Operate photographic developing or print production equipment. Record images needed to address work issues.
#19163 · Supplemental · 32% automatable
Teach art therapy techniques or processes to artists, interns, volunteers, or others.
interpersonal — Caregiver training needs live modeling and supervision
Train caregivers or other non-medical personnel.
#19156 · Supplemental · 46% automatable
Coordinate art showcases to display artwork produced by clients.
text generation — Layout concepts generated; spatial/physical fit human-checked
Design layout of art or product exhibits, displays, or promotional materials. Coordinate artistic activities.
#19157 · Supplemental · 48% automatable
Coordinate field trips for client groups to museums or other public displays of art.
interpersonal — Cross-party coordination aided; humans own commitments
Collaborate with other agencies and institutions to coordinate educational matters. Coordinate activities with suppliers, contractors, clients, or other departments.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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