We're creatives - here's what AI has done to our jobs
AI can now draft, draw, sing, and speak on cue. Researchers say most creatives feel their job security has taken a hit, and many fear replacement is closer than they hoped. That's not theory - it's already here. Four stories show what's changing and what still matters.
Art: "People can just generate whatever they want"
Aisha Belarbi is a 22-year-old furry artist in Norwich who works in both traditional and digital media. She used to dismiss AI because the results looked off. That changed when she could no longer tell what was human-made and what wasn't - and knew most clients couldn't either.
Commissions stopped feeling reliable, so she pivoted to writing how-to-draw books. For Aisha, art is lived experience, not a prompt. She worries younger artists will give up before they develop their voice.
Video: "We made the jump - months, not years"
JP Allard, 67, ran a traditional video agency. After a short time off, he binge-learned AI and overhauled the business. His company now creates "digital twins" for clients that can speak in 175 languages and produces ads without shoots, crews, or long edits.
The shift wasn't painless - some staff resisted and left. JP says the real challenge is speed: transitions that used to take years now happen in months. He argues it's still a tool, and in skilled hands, the result can feel authentic.
Music: "Songs in a minute - but people want the real thing"
Ross Stewart, 21, discovered an album he loved was AI-generated - one of dozens released by the same "artist" in a year. The volume and speed worry him, and he's seen advertisers swap licensed tracks for AI music.
To Ross, using AI for lyrics is sacrilege. He believes live shows, imperfect performances, and real connection still matter. That's where musicians can win.
Copywriting: "AI took the smaller jobs - I became the final check"
Niki Tibble, 38, returned from maternity leave to find AI handling the tasks that once filled her week: short blogs, social posts, emails. Some clients still want human strategy, research, and voice - the upstream work that sets the brief.
She now offers a "last pass" service on AI drafts: fact checks, source verification, brand tone, and added depth. It works today, but she's honest - no one knows what this looks like in ten years.
What this means for creatives
- Pick your lane: go "more human" (live, bespoke, community-driven) or "more AI" (scale, speed, translation, iteration). Straddling both without a plan costs time and money.
- Move up the value chain: sell direction, taste, research, and strategy. Tools can draft. Clients still pay for decisions.
- Productize your expertise: tutorials, templates, books, presets, memberships. Aisha's pivot to teaching is a model.
- Make authenticity visible: behind-the-scenes, process reels, WIPs, live streams, credits. Show the work so clients understand what they're buying.
- Set AI rules in your contracts: scope where AI is allowed, data usage, consent, model training, and credit. Protect style and voice as assets.
- Offer "AI QA" as a service: fact-checks, tone alignment, legal/sourcing review, accessibility, and brand consistency. Many teams need a human final check.
- Diversify revenue: live events, commissions, licensing, merch, cohorts, retainer packages. One channel is fragile.
- Build a signature style: a look, sound, or POV that's hard to copy. Specific beats generic.
- Price for outcomes, not hours: especially if AI speeds you up. Clients pay for impact, not timeline.
- Keep learning - fast: new tools change what's possible every quarter. Schedule recurring time to test, document, and refine your stack.
If you're adapting right now
- Create a "human-only" offer: live performance, bespoke illustration, founder-on-camera content, or consultative strategy.
- Create an "AI-accelerated" offer: multilingual video from digital twins, concept art iterations, content refresh at scale, or AI-drafted copy with human edit.
- Publish your process page: how you work, where AI fits (or doesn't), how you protect IP, and how you guarantee quality.
- Start a reusable library: prompts, checklists, brand guides, and reference boards to speed delivery without killing craft.
Useful next steps
AI isn't a finish line. It's a moving target. The creatives who win will double down on taste and truth - and use tools to serve that, not replace it.
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