Will AI replace Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance?
AI reaches some of this job’s work, but most of it stays with people.
22/100
Moderate exposure
More exposed to AI than 38% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 0% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 41% of the work
What the job involves
Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Within reach(9)
- Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
- Study production information, such as character descriptions, period settings, and situations, to determine makeup requirements.
- Establish budgets, and work within budgetary limits.
- Evaluate environmental characteristics, such as venue size and lighting plans, to determine makeup requirements.
- Examine sketches, photographs, and plaster models to obtain desired character image depiction.
and 4 more
Out of reach(12)
- Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
- Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
- Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
- Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects.
- Confer with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects.
and 7 more
Also called
Makeup Artist (MUA) · Special Effects Makeup Artist (Special Effects MUA) · MUA · Special Effects MUA · Commercial Makeup Artist (Commercial MUA) · Hair and Makeup Designer · Prosthetic Makeup Designer · Special Makeup Effects Artist
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What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics