The rise of AI has many employees in creative fields, especially those in digital freelancing jobs, worried about their job security. Well, there is some bad news for such people. New research indicates these concerns may not be well-founded, but the situation worsens daily.
According to a study by Imperial College Business School, Harvard Business School, and the German Institute for Economic Research, the demand for digital freelancers in writing and coding has decreased by 21% since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.
The research, “Who is AI Replacing? The Impact of Generative AI on Online Freelancing Platforms,” reviewed nearly two million job postings from 61 countries between July 2021 and July 2023.
AI kills them softly.
It categorized jobs into groups based on their susceptibility to automation, manual work, and image generation. The results showed a significant decrease in job postings in these sectors following ChatGPT’s introduction.
Job listings in automation-prone fields, such as writing, software, and app development, declined by 21%.
Data entry and social media post-production jobs decreased by 13 percent, while roles in image generation, including graphic design and 3D modeling, fell by 17 percent.
Trends in Google searches supported the observation that sectors aware of and using generative AI faced steeper declines.
Dr. Xinrong Zhu, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Imperial College Business School and co-author of the study, remarked on the impact: “Despite being relatively new, ChatGPT has already significantly influenced the workplace. Many organizations seem to be moving away from freelancers towards generative AI. Still, it remains to be seen if they are satisfied with AI’s quality compared to human freelancers and if this shift will persist.”
However, there’s a silver lining. Dr. Zhu pointed out that technological advancements, while displacing specific jobs, also create new opportunities. Freelancers who adapt their skills to meet changing demands can still find success in the evolving job market.
Safeguarding your career
AI’s threat to digital freelancers is natural and will likely increase as AI technologies advance. However, there are ways to protect your career.
Diversifying your skill sets and focusing on areas where human creativity and emotional intelligence are vital can help.
It is less likely that AI will completely replace skills in strategic thinking, difficult problem-solving, and nuanced content creation.
Additionally, embracing AI tools to enhance your productivity and the quality of your work can turn potential threats into opportunities.
AI isn’t going away, so learning how to work with it is crucial. You can stay competitive and relevant in the job market by adapting and leveraging AI capabilities.
