Is AI really replacing creative jobs? The good, the bad & the ugly…
Is AI (artificial intelligence) replacing creative jobs? Short answer, some. Long answer, no.
The term artificial intelligence has existed almost a century
AI is not a new term, but is it trending in the mainstream media and conversation?
Yes. It is also in a new rampant cycle of development, innovation and as some economists speculate a bubble.
Does it create wealth with it? 100%.
Is it good for the environment? Definitely not.
Is it is better than traditional methods? Possibly.
Whatever your perspective or opinion, AI is not new. While I cannot personally give a detailed history of AI I did find an interesting article on tableau by saleforce that had a brief interesting timeline dating back to the early 1900’s.
We use AI everyday, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously. It now is incorporated into our daily lives, if you are living in modern society of course, but whatever lifestyle, it has crossed our paths intentionally or non-intentionally at some point both directly and indirectly. Sometimes, even interfering with it (re-typing this 3 times as autocorrect misspells my intended words).
AI is still a limited resource that requires ethical behaviour
In general, I am neither for nor against AI, as it would be hypocritical of me to have either stance. Whether utilizing old or new resources, in order to survive in the wild or any society, being resourceful is necessary. It is when we exploit, abuse resources or ignore consequences of those behaviours is when civilization can collapse and the environment can be depleted. As someone who once dreamed of being an archeologist, if you study any ancient civilization or extinct species, there are clues to their demise that history continues to warn us to be sustainable when it comes to using resources, while considering there are factors beyond any one individual’s control that require adjustment or migration.
A few very basic common knowledge aspects of AI
- AI uses electrical energy
- AI apps, content creation tools and platforms require ongoing data storage
- AI can affect memory retention, focus, attention and overall cognitive behaviors
Those are very basic concepts, with research you can learn the consumption of Chat GPT versus Google Search (which will likely change by the time you read this as Google integrates AI). The major difference between artificial intelligence now and artificial intelligence even two or three years ago is the speed in which we are consuming energy. When cell phones first hit the mainstream market, people outraged about the cancer causing energy, advised not to sleep next to them and turn them off.
But ask yourself when is the last time you turned off your phone? Computer? Or other tech device?
Consider how much electrical energy you use in the past 10 years versus 20 years, now multiply that by the increase in global population. Base on ChatGPT web search and calculations, the human race uses 56% more electricity in 2025 versus 2005. While population increases so does individual consumption. And while people argue electricity can be a renewable resource; solar panels, inversion systems, batteries, and the overall industry is not. It takes money, human/labour resources and non renewable resources like lithium.
So while AI is a resource that enables speed, efficiency and productivity in some cases, it is extremely wasteful and destructive in other ways. It is a valuable resource to be used responsibly.
While it wasn’t intentional, I started with the ugly. And we can only speculate that ChatGPT is giving us an accurate approximation on those numbers, but I think anyone using basic critical thinking can agree we are consuming a lot more electrical energy than previously.
That all said, when used responsibly AI is an amazing resource that can create freedom, ease and accessibility. Moving onto the bad, replacing creative jobs.
AI is transforming the creative industry, but is it for the better?
Evolving technology will always change the way artists, creatives and industries work. How many shoe cobblers do you have on your street? Mechanical, technical, digital and creative innovation is a great thing but it will never truly replace something. It is about the user or consumer adjusting how they embrace or reject it. Any graphic designer or illustrator can attest to this. Artists still draw and use their human skills regardless of the media. There is a reason tech companies are forced to create compatible software for drawing tablets. We went from scanners to a camera phone & image trace to digital hand drawn artwork. Fashion designers are discovering lately the new software that integrates industry standards for decades, like Pantone connect, Adobe or now Newarc. I watch the senior creative directors as an assistant designer panic to learn adobe illustrator in their later years as they fear for their job security as my technical skills surpassed theirs. Now, as a senior designer with the latest AI advancements, you do not need skills to create ideas, or even to go to market.
Have a thought? Ask ChatGPT to express, you can write an entire blog post that’s informative, relevant and even targeted. This blog post, that I have already spend an hour writing, could have been summarized and written by AI in a matter of minutes, holding the same or more value than my own thoughts using global sources versus my own personal experience. (Probably better grammar too.)
Why take a photo when you can create an image with AI? Is this scary for creative professionals or artists? Of course! Years spend learning, developing, and mastering feel lost when your competitor can do it in seconds and 10x better. But is it always better?
Art is subjective, AI is another option not a replacement
As people use AI more they also discover the downfalls, lag time and frustration of it as well. On our affiliate blog platform, sustainablesurfergirl.com, we offer travel and surf content. As a photographer, I enjoy the process of taking images, visiting in person and capturing a moment. But in post production I edit an image to look as good as possible. Sometimes it looks better than in person and sometimes the equipment even Adobe Pro color space or the high sensor MP cannot capture the beauty that the human eye is capable of. I tried generating content using AI. But while the content is nice, maybe even better than my images – they are not real. So while it is useful for generic posts or information where I need a nice image, it might not be truthful or relevant to my article or business.
Our bodies, minds, eyes and nature cannot be truly replicated.
That is the magic of humanity and nature.
That said technology can do some pretty cool things. Years ago when I was studying commercial photography, a teacher held up his iPhone and said this is better than most cameras or something along those lines, then going into details the advancements to photography innovation over the years. But contrast to that, another talented photographer once said to me, it is not about the gear but the person behind it. Now, I draw my own conclusions based on my experience as a photographer, designer, traveler and culinary chef. There is a tool for the job.
Analog photography is no longer a wide known skill it once was, people rarely know what ISO, Shutter speed or Aperture means no less the setting needed for the lighting or more importantly the results.
But brand new Fujifilm digital cameras, Photoshop, presets and social media filter all try to replicate to effects of film photography. While I don’t shoot as much as I used to, mainly due to time and money, I adore the experimentation and richness of film photography. People love nostalgia, which is its definition in itself is remembering something better than it was. And why is film photography nostalgic? Well technically, because the limitations of definition helps, skin looks smoother when a camera cannot capture every pore or blemish. Landscapes with grainy finishes force your imagination to place yourself there, rather than a high definition image or a 360 view that shows all the ugly bits. Film photography also requires a skill to do it therefore the camera operator requires the knowledge to adjust the settings for a good result or any result! This also means they would likely have skills in composition to take a good picture that shows only the best of the scene. Film photography also has interesting result based on human error or dark room technique, some results that digital photographers or AI used post production practices as well. Take a double exposure for example – this can be done in camera versus post production. Something digital cameras are not capable of (yet). But these are small rare examples. It is a style majority of people are not going to revert back to do to time of cost of analog photography. But it does make that skill any less valuable in fact more so – but less commonly in demand for.
This is where AI will replace creative jobs. Skills or techniques that can be done in second and more cost efficient depending on the business or task. But someone still needs to push the button. And more likely than not it would be someone who understands the basic concept that AI is trying to achieve.
As the gallery above shows, sure you can create inspiring and engaging content or images with AI like Meta AI image creation. And if you look at the amount of energy and waste created for that small option of digital images, the value and long term effects of it creation are miniscle in comparison to an actual digital image of a location or more so a film image (negatives can be reproduced versus the lifetime of a jpg file). No only that while the AI content is fast and great content to grab attention, it dimishes trust for the viewer and your overall account and page. So while it can be useful, understanding when and how is key.
Embracing AI opens up more creative opportunities
AI can be scary when you look at the bad and ugly, but rather than run or complain we can embrace it, learn it and apply it. Or restrict it, learn from it and re-innovate it. Like any technical or Industrial Revolution, we can take value away from it. Some technologies and innovation changing our lives and societies vastly as well as for the better. While other ideas in a rapid trend tend to get left behind.
Will the AI bubble burst or will it change our society forever?
Only time will tell what will become of AI technology and how it will remain in our everyday lives also how it will affect our environment and society. With massive pushback already happening for the water consumption and public opinion on the larger data centres but also the scammers or AI slop that pollutes the internet and social media, it may be forced to change as fast as it entered mainstream use. I would bet open ai use will move towards paid use only as more lawsuits, and abuse of the products continue rapidly. Will it go away completely, highly unlikely unless some post apocalyptic era begins and in that case we really have bigger concerns than AI overtake. But for now best to find how it can improve your quality of life, efficiency in your business and how to use it responsibly.
Coming soon… we will be offering AI audits and evaluations on how your business is being represented or visible on AI assistant searches and platforms. Contact us directly for more information.
