Impact of generative AI: one in five creative freelancers sees income decline
Almost one in five self-employed professionals in creative professions are seeing their income decline as a result of the rise of generative AI. This group is also experiencing a decrease in the number of assignments and a change in the nature of their work. This is according to new research conducted by De Creatieve Coalitie and the Boekman Foundation among more than 700 workers in the cultural and creative sector.
Of the self-employed professionals, 18 percent indicate that their income has fallen since generative AI became widely used. A similar proportion have seen a decline in the number of assignments. In addition, 65 percent expect employment in their own profession or sector to come under further pressure in the next five years. This includes writers, voice actors, illustrators, translators, composers, cameramen, and filmmakers. Employees in the cultural and creative sector are significantly more positive about generative AI. They see applications primarily as a tool to work more efficiently and support their work. This attitude contrasts with that of freelancers, who more often experience direct consequences for their income and position in the labor market.
“Generative AI thus increases inequality,” says Sita Struijke, researcher at the Boekman Foundation. “The results show that existing inequalities in the sector are being reinforced, putting further pressure on the already vulnerable position of self-employed professionals.”
From creative to implementer
The study shows that not only the amount of work is changing, but also its content.
Creative professionals are less often asked to contribute ideas about concept, content, or strategy from the outset. Instead, they are more often called in at the end of a project to check, correct, or technically refine AI-generated material. “Clients use generative AI for conceptualization and elaboration. They then use traditional AI for execution. “Clients use generative AI for conceptualization and elaboration. Then they call in freelancers to fix it,” says Nanja van Rijsse, knowledge advisor at De Creatieve Coalitie. “This means that freelancers lose control over the final product to be delivered and creativity in the creative process comes under pressure,” adds Thomas Drissen, director of De Creatieve Coalitie. Writers, editors, and composers in particular indicate that they are more often hired to check AI-generated work rather than to write or create themselves. Although this checking work can be time-consuming, respondents say it often comes with a lower rate.
Support for transition fund
A majority of respondents see the need for additional support. For example, 57 percent say they are in favor of a transition fund for workers in the cultural and creative sector. There is also a need for training, retraining, and reskilling to teach creators how to deal with the consequences of generative AI for their work. “The market is currently investing primarily in the technological side of generative AI and forgetting about the people,“ says Drissen. ”Those who profit from generative AI should also contribute to the creators behind this technology. That is not a brake on innovation, but a prerequisite for fair innovation.” More than 300,000 people work in the cultural and creative sector. The majority work as freelancers. The study is based on self-reporting and maps how workers in the sector experience the impact of generative AI on their work and income. Some of the
respondents indicate that the consequences are still difficult to assess, but among the self-employed, the impact is already considerable.
Read the article by the Creatieve Coalitie here.