Workers in the UK’s creative industries are increasingly concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on their livelihoods, according to new research from Queen Mary University of London. Findings from the Crafting Responsive Assessments of AI & Tech-Impacted Futures (CREAATIF) project reveal fears over diminishing job security, reduced earnings, and a decline in the perceived value of creative work as AI technologies reshape the sector.
New challenges and diminishing value
The CREAATIF study, led by Queen Mary’s Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI) in collaboration with the Queen Mary Centre for Creative Collaboration, the Alan Turing Institute, and the Institute for the Future of Work, explores the effects of generative AI (GenAI) on creative industries. Based on workshops and surveys with 335 creative professionals, the findings paint a complex picture of how AI is transforming the sector, offering new opportunities while deepening existing challenges.
Participants expressed concerns that GenAI is exacerbating exploitative working conditions, reducing creative autonomy, and threatening fair compensation. Many reported that instead of producing original work, they are increasingly tasked with reviewing AI-generated content, which they believe undermines their expertise and diminishes the financial value of their contributions. Transparency emerged as another critical issue, with creative workers calling for clarity around how their work is being used, particularly in the training of AI models.
Uneven impacts across the workforce
The study revealed that the negative impacts of GenAI are unevenly distributed across the creative workforce. Freelancers and self-employed workers, already vulnerable to precarious working conditions, reported experiencing the sharpest declines in job security and earnings. Women in the sector cited greater losses in flexibility and revenue compared to their male counterparts, while certain fields, such as translation and language services, appeared to be more severely affected than others.
Dr Aoife Monks, Director of the Queen Mary Centre for Creative Collaboration, highlighted the need for industry-wide reforms to address these issues. “Our results show that when it comes to supporting the creative industry workforce in this new AI era, we need fairer compensation models, stronger protections around intellectual property, and clearer guidelines around the use of creative work in training AI models,” she said.
Productivity gains and the need for training
While the findings emphasised the challenges, they also underscored the potential benefits of AI. Participants noted that GenAI has increased productivity for some and created new opportunities for learning and professional development. However, many argued that the creative workforce needs better education and training to harness AI effectively. One participant remarked, “We can’t stop the technology, so train people how to use the tools.”
Professor David Leslie, Professor of Ethics, Technology and Society at Queen Mary and Principal Investigator of the CREAATIF project, stressed the importance of involving creative workers in shaping the future of AI. “The transformative effects GenAI is having on the creative industries is undeniable, so it is essential to centre and amplify the voices of creative workers,” he added. “The CREAATIF project has sought to do just this, examining the effects of GenAI through their own eyes and seeking paths forward that include them in the governance of these applications.”
Systemic issues and future reforms
The report also highlighted systemic issues underpinning AI’s impact on creative work. Dr Abigail Gilbert, Co-Director of the Institute for the Future of Work, pointed to the broader implications of AI-enabled business models. “Workers are being required, by contract, to surrender their data in ways which could see them displaced or devalued,” she said. “Creative workers are not suffering from GenerativeAI, but the business models which underpin these technologies. Far more significant and holistic review of the consequences of GenerativeAI for people, and our economy, is required.”
The CREAATIF project aims to develop cross-sector policy recommendations to ensure the rights and integrity of creative workers are preserved in the evolving AI landscape. As the findings suggest, the sector stands at a crossroads, with the potential for AI to both enrich and undermine the creative industries. Without meaningful reforms, many fear that these technologies could lead to a future where creativity is devalued, and the workforce marginalised.
