Lost gigs and lower pay: How AI is already affecting freelance artists and writers

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Lost gigs and lower pay: How AI is already affecting freelance artists and writers
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Some freelance workers, who may have no union protection or benefits, are experiencing lost opportunities, more competition or having to work with AI applications for less pay

Writer Cynthia Heinrichs is photographed in Vancouver, B.C. on Oct. 23. A company Heinrichs was working for pitched AI as an opportunity to take on more memoirs, but she had no interest in working with it, especially because she had concerns about the quality of the writing.Phil Kneen has cycled through a few jobs in his time. He’s been a wedding photographer, a photojournalist and, for a spell during the pandemic, a baker.

These setbacks were more frustrating than existential for Mr. Kneen. The type of work he likes to do, photojournalism, cannot be replicated by AI. But the odd commercial freelance gig might be harder to find.applications that produce text, pictures and videos have exploded in both quality and popularity, some creative professionals have become deeply concerned about their livelihoods. There is a double whammy.

In June, she received an e-mail from her bosses at the agency that acknowledged a decrease in writing and editing assignments in recent months. As a result of the massive impact of AI on the content industry, the e-mail continued, the company could no longer offer work to independent contractors. The company pitched AI as an opportunity to take on more memoirs, but Ms. Heinrichs had no interest in working with it, especially because she had concerns about the quality of the writing. “There was going to be a huge amount of learning for me just to do one project,” she said. “I thought, ‘Screw this.’ ” She has since gone solo as an independent memoir writer.

So far, research is scant on how generative AI is affecting employment and earnings for freelancers, in part because the technology is still nascent. But at least two academic studies provide some insight., researchers at Harvard Business School, London Business School and DIW Berlin examined more than 1.3-million job postings on a large online platform for freelancers, which is not identified in the paper.

Mr. Rendulic had been without work for some time before he landed that job, and he was hesitant to raise his concerns. “In retrospect, I wish that I did,” he said.

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