How over is it?

A mood ring wired to real instruments

AI exposure Healthcare practitioners and technical

Will AI replace therapists?

Therapists, All Other. US occupation 29-1129.

4.0%

of the time therapists spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of therapists' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 275 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 63% of them.Further along than 63% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Around the middle of the pack.Keeping pace with the average job.

What AI already does for therapistsWhat therapists no longer do alone

O*NET lists 53 tasks for therapists. AI use at work shows up in 3 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Review research or literature in art therapy, psychology, or related disciplines.Core task mostly automated 0.89
  2. Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for therapy.Core task mostly automated 0.88
  3. Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms.Core task automated and assisted 0.82

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

50 of the 53 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Adapt existing or develop new music therapy assessment instruments or procedures to meet an individual client's needs.Core task
  • Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of specific treatments or therapy approaches.Core task
  • Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of treatments or therapy approaches.Core task
  • Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for art therapy.Core task
  • Apply current technology to music therapy practices.Core task
  • Apply selected research findings to practice.Core task
Show the other 44
  • Assess client functioning levels, strengths, and areas of need in terms of perceptual, sensory, affective, communicative, musical, physical, cognitive, social, spiritual, or other abilities.Core task
  • Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes.Core task
  • Assess the risks and benefits of treatment termination for clients.Core task
  • Collaborate with others to design or implement interdisciplinary treatment programs.Core task
  • Communicate with clients to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to musical experiences.Core task
  • Compose, arrange, or adapt music for music therapy treatments.Core task
  • Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments.Core task
  • Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community.Core task
  • Conduct, or assist in the conduct of, music therapy research.Core task
  • Confer with other professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans.Core task
  • Confer with professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans.Core task
  • Customize art therapy programs for specific client populations, such as those in schools, nursing homes, wellness centers, prisons, shelters, or hospitals.Core task
  • Customize treatment programs for specific areas of music therapy, such as intellectual or developmental disabilities, educational settings, geriatrics, medical settings, mental health, physical disabilities, or wellness.Core task
  • Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives.Core task
  • Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives.Core task
  • Design or provide music therapy experiences to address client needs, such as using music for self-care, adjusting to life changes, improving cognitive functioning, raising self-esteem, communicating, or controlling impulses.Core task
  • Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques.Core task
  • Document evaluations, treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.Core task
  • Engage clients in music experiences to identify client responses to different styles of music, types of musical experiences, such as improvising or listening, or elements of music, such as tempo or harmony.Core task
  • Establish client goals or objectives for music therapy treatment, considering client needs, capabilities, interests, overall therapeutic program, coordination of treatment, or length of treatment.Core task
  • Establish goals or objectives for art therapy sessions in consultation with clients or site administrators.Core task
  • Gather client information from sources such as case documentation, client observation, or interviews of client or family members.Core task
  • Gather diagnostic data from sources such as case documentation, observations of clients, or interviews with clients or family members.Core task
  • Identify and respond to emergency physical or mental health situations.Core task
  • Improvise instrumentally, vocally, or physically to meet client's therapeutic needs.Core task
  • Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn.Core task
  • Integrate behavioral, developmental, improvisational, medical, or neurological approaches into music therapy treatments.Core task
  • Interpret the artistic creations of clients to assess their functioning, needs, or progress.Core task
  • Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art therapy.Core task
  • Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to music therapy.Core task
  • Participate in continuing education.Core task
  • Photograph or videotape client artwork for inclusion in client records or for promotional purposes.Core task
  • Plan or structure music therapy sessions to achieve appropriate transitions, pacing, sequencing, energy level, or intensity in accordance with treatment plans.Core task
  • Recommend or purchase needed art supplies or equipment.Core task
  • Select or adapt musical instruments, musical equipment, or non-musical materials, such as adaptive devices or visual aids, to meet treatment objectives.Core task
  • Select or prepare artistic media or related equipment or devices to accomplish therapy session objectives.Core task
  • Sing or play musical instruments, such as keyboard, guitar, or percussion instruments.Core task
  • Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns engaged in music therapy activities.Core task
  • Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns.Core task
  • Talk with clients during art or other therapy sessions to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to the artistic process.Core task
  • Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.Core task
  • Coordinate art showcases to display artwork produced by clients.
  • Coordinate field trips for client groups to museums or other public displays of art.
  • Teach art therapy techniques or processes to artists, interns, volunteers, or others.

How that compares

Among the 65 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, therapists rank 18. The group averages 4.1%, and its most exposed job is Medical Records Specialists at 66.7%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 271Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 4.1%
  2. 275Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary 4.0%
  3. 275Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare 4.0%

Just below

  1. 278Helpers--Production Workers 3.9%
  2. 278Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists 3.9%
  3. 278Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters 3.9%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.