Will art therapists be replaced by AI?
Updated
Art therapists score 39 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 60%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 13% outright, and 27% stays with people.
- 13% AI can do it
- 60% AI helps
- 27% Needs a person
Moderate exposure
Higher than 51% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 25 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 15 and leaves 7 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Review research or literature in art therapy, psychology, or related disciplines. AI can search, summarize and synthesize literature well, with light review. | 75% AI can do it |
| Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups. Routine report and case summary writing from notes is well suited to AI. | 70% AI can do it |
| Recommend or purchase needed art supplies or equipment. Supply recommendations and online purchasing are routine and easily automated. | 65% AI can do it |
| Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms. AI can draft findings in many formats, but the therapist delivers them. | 55% AI helps |
| Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of treatments or therapy approaches. AI can analyze outcome data quickly, but the therapist judges effectiveness. | 55% AI helps |
| Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques. AI can draft treatment plan options from intake data and templates. | 50% AI helps |
| Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for art therapy. AI can synthesize client data, but clinical conclusions need professional judgment. | 50% AI helps |
| Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art therapy. AI can draft observation notes, but the therapist watches and judges. | 45% AI helps |
| Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives. AI can draft session plans, but therapist tailors them to clients. | 45% AI helps |
| Customize art therapy programs for specific client populations, such as those in schools, nursing homes, wellness centers, prisons, shelters, or hospitals. AI can adapt program templates to settings, but staff tailor them on site. | 45% AI helps |
Show the other 15 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Gather client information from sources such as case documentation, client observation, or interviews of client or family members. AI can pull and summarize records, but interviews and observation stay human. | 40% AI helps |
| Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community. AI can build slides and handouts, but live presenting is human. | 35% AI helps |
| Coordinate art showcases to display artwork produced by clients. AI can plan logistics and outreach, but hanging and hosting are physical. | 35% AI helps |
| Coordinate field trips for client groups to museums or other public displays of art. AI can handle booking and forms, but supervising clients is in person. | 35% AI helps |
| Confer with other professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans. AI can summarize team input, but meetings and coordination stay human. | 30% AI helps |
| Interpret the artistic creations of clients to assess their functioning, needs, or progress. AI can suggest readings of artwork, but interpretation needs clinical context. | 30% AI helps |
| Establish goals or objectives for art therapy sessions in consultation with clients or site administrators. Goal setting is a conversation with clients and administrators, mostly human. | 30% AI helps |
| Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes. Art based assessment is mostly hands on and in person. | 20% AI helps |
| Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns. Supervising people and giving feedback needs human accountability and presence. | 20% Needs a person |
| Teach art therapy techniques or processes to artists, interns, volunteers, or others. Teaching technique is hands on and in person, with some prep help. | 20% Needs a person |
| Select or prepare artistic media or related equipment or devices to accomplish therapy session objectives. Gathering and preparing physical art materials is hands on work. | 15% Needs a person |
| Photograph or videotape client artwork for inclusion in client records or for promotional purposes. Photographing physical artwork is hands on, with minor admin help. | 15% Needs a person |
| Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments. Live guided art sessions need in person presence and emotional attunement. | 10% Needs a person |
| Talk with clients during art or other therapy sessions to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to the artistic process. Rapport building in live sessions depends on human presence. | 8% Needs a person |
| Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn. Showing people hands on media technique happens in person. | 8% Needs a person |
How art therapists compare
All occupations (923)
Healthcare practitioners and technical (89)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $77,930 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 11,320 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +12.6% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Run live guided art sessions with clients in person
- Build rapport and read emotional responses during sessions
- Demonstrate media technique hands on in clay, paint, or yarn
- Review and sign off AI-drafted treatment plans and reports in Microsoft Word
- Assess client needs through drawing, painting, and sculpting processes
- Interpret outcome data and judge therapy effectiveness in IBM SPSS Statistics
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about art therapists and AI
Will AI replace art therapists?
Partly. About 4 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly literature review and treatment plan or report writing. Live sessions, rapport building, and hands on art work stay with people because they need a therapist physically present and attuned to the client.
Which art therapist tasks is AI taking over?
Literature review carries the highest exposure at 75 out of 100, since AI can search, summarize, and synthesize psychology and art therapy research with light checking. Routine report and case summary writing from session notes scores 70, and supply recommendations and online purchasing score 65.
Which art therapist tasks stay human?
Running live art therapy sessions scores 10 out of 100 on exposure, and rapport building during sessions scores 8. These stay with the therapist because guided self-expression depends on in person presence, emotional attunement, and hands on demonstration of media.
How can art therapists stay valuable as AI takes on paperwork?
Spend the time saved on live sessions and client assessment through drawing and sculpting, which score 20 or lower on exposure. Check every AI-drafted report and treatment plan in Microsoft Word before signing off. Use IBM SPSS Statistics to judge whether outcome data shows a therapy approach works.
Related jobs
Next steps for art therapists
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.
Related topics
- Jobs AI can't replaceCement masons score lowest, at 8.
- Jobs most at risk from AIProofreaders score highest, at 76.
- High-paying jobs with low AI exposureRadiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.
- Entry-level jobs with low AI exposureCement masons need little prior training and score 8.
- Jobs AI speeds up the mostFor natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.
- AI and jobs in Malta15 iGaming roles graded task by task.
- Skills that keep work humanThe skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.
- Jobs A to ZEvery job we publish, by first letter.
- AI exposure by industryAverage scores for 22 occupation groups.
- Write a CV screening software can readHow applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.
- AI for businessesThe tasks to automate first in each team and industry.
- How we score AI exposureThe grading, the weights and every source.