# Will AI replace actors? Updated October 2026 Actors score 29 of 100 for AI exposure. 61% of their task time still needs a person. AI speeds up the other 39%. - **39%** AI helps - **61%** Needs a person Low exposure Lower than 64% of the 923 occupations we scored. ## Task by task We graded 18 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can't do any of them end to end yet. It speeds up 7 and leaves 11 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Write original or adapted material for dramas, comedies, puppet shows, narration, or other performances. AI drafts scripts and adaptations well, but voice still needs authors. | 55% AI helps | | Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations. AI can summarize script relationships and themes quickly for actors. | 50% AI helps | | Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed. AI quizzing helps memorize lines, but rehearsal stays human. | 45% AI helps | | Read from scripts or books to narrate action or to inform or entertain audiences, utilizing few or no stage props. AI voice narration works, but live reading still needs a performer. | 40% AI helps | | Promote productions using means such as interviews about plays or movies. AI can draft talking points and press materials for interviews. | 35% AI helps | ## How actors compare All occupations (923) Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media (40) **Actors score 29**, marked by the dark line. Each dot is a score, darker where more occupations share it. The short marks show the averages, 37 for all occupations and 44 for arts, design, entertainment, sports and media. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $60,424 a year, May 2025 People employed 55,000 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs 0.0% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Hold SAG-AFTRA membership for union film and television work - Perform stunts under a certified stunt coordinator on set - Sing and dance live at auditions and in musicals - Cut and post self-tape reels in Apple Final Cut Pro - Rehearse scene partners live over Zoom before callbacks ## Safer roles nearby 2 related occupations with lower scores. - [Musicians22 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/musicians/) - [Dancers16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dancers/) ## Questions about actors and AI Will actors be replaced by AI? Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly script analysis and character research. Live performance stays with people, and it covers 61% of the task weight, including stunts, singing and physical comedy. Will AI take over acting? AI speeds up 39% of the task time in acting. People still do 61% of it. The US has 55,000 actor jobs, with a projected change of 0.0% from 2024 to 2034. Which tasks is AI taking over for actors? Script writing, character study and promotion carry the highest exposure scores, at 55, 50 and 35. AI drafts scripts and adaptations well, summarizes script relationships and themes for character study, and drafts talking points for interviews. The authorial voice in a script still needs a human writer. Which acting tasks stay human? Stunts, singing and dancing, facial expression, and physical comedy stay with people. Stunts carry real physical risk and need trained bodies on set. Singing and dancing are live physical skills. Facial expression and clown routines depend on a performer reacting to a live audience. How can actors stay valuable as AI spreads? Spend more hours on work that needs a live body. Rehearse lines with scene partners over Zoom before callbacks. Cut and post your self-tape reels in Apple Final Cut Pro. Train stunts under a certified coordinator, and keep singing and dancing sharp for live auditions. ## Related jobs - [Novelists63 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/novelists/) - [Music producers45 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/producers/) - [Art professors49 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/art-professors/) - [Writers65 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/writers/) ## Next steps for actors - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your actual tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV and see which of your tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Cement masons score lowest, at 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Radiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Cement masons need little prior training and score 8.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**For natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we publish, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 occupation groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.