IS AI TAKING OUR JOBS?

IS AI TAKING OUR JOBS?

Creatives - it is time to buckle our seatbelts and hop into the AI train. It’s no longer only for your finance bros or IT guys. We are not doomed; we just need to learn how to make the situation work for us. Staying informed and understanding how new shifts affect your craft are the key things here. Spoiler alert: there will always be a need for human art <3

What will happen to creative jobs because of AI?

Navigating the AI world as a creative might feel like a mission impossible. You are expected to know the way without a working GPS that just keeps guessing the next turns and more often than not leads you to dead ends. However, at this point, generative AI has been accessible for long enough for AI specialists and experts to draw some conclusions and, to an extent, predict what the future holds.

Currently, in the first quarter of 2026, we are witnessing a shift from Execution to Orchestration (Economic Observatory, 2026). The creative jobs that AI can replace, like designing or copywriting, might indeed face hard times. The trajectory here is that AI is taking over the “technical execution” phase of creativity. Therefore, there will be an increase in roles like “AI Directing” or “Curating”. However, this is not to say that the need for human touch is gone; art and text made without AI will gain a new kind of artistic value and thrill in imaginative, human-made matters.

So what does this mean to the workers at the different points of hierarchical structure? To put it bluntly, the middleman might have to rethink the trajectory of their career. Many of the jobs that require technical execution have become, or could become, replaceable by AI. Think of occupations like proofreaders, graphic designers, or copy editors. People in leading positions might enjoy a more cushioned transformation, since only the subject of their leadership is changing; instead of people, they could be directing AI.

What should creatives and companies focus on to stay relevant?

For creatives, staying “AI literate" is the first step in making sure that you do not become a stepping stone of the new era. Knowing what AI could do in your position can help you to redirect your professional focus to things where human touch is needed. Understand the power and the shortcomings of AI in your field so you are prepared to have the possible tough conversations and even offer new perspectives. Creatives who can provide an understanding of data and AI will have a higher chance of coming across as trustworthy. AI literacy is a skill that each creative should develop, not to use it in everything you do, but to understand its consequences and realities. To put it short, do not let AI surprise you.

Companies right now should be undergoing a tough evaluation process to understand which AI tools are corresponding with their needs, resources, and values. We are past the days of blindly using every AI tool imaginable. Different AI tools have different programming, and with that come different motives. The evaluation should come with a humanist side too. What tasks are better to optimize, and could some AI optimization actually be a disservice to your company? What does your AI budget look like, and are your people trained to work with new tools? Companies should also consider keeping the “high stakes” areas, where the consequences of mistakes or being “wrong” are high, AI-free, or at the very least monitored by humans. AI tools do not come with a guarantee, and keeping humans in control of risky areas might save you from later pain. For example, a company's internal workflow can be reconstructed in a way where AI handles the administrative tasks, and humans handle the strategic thinking, coaching, and client relationship management.

Where does this leave us?

The creative industry is not facing extinction, but it is facing a reckoning. AI is not a villain in this story, nor is it a savior. It is a tool with enormous power and very real limitations, and how it reshapes creative work will depend largely on the choices made by the people and companies wielding it.

The honest reality is that some jobs will not survive this transition in their current form. That loss is not trivial, and it deserves to be acknowledged rather than glossed over with optimism. For many people, the roles being disrupted are not just income; they are identity, craft, and years of hard-earned expertise. Telling those people to simply "adapt" without recognizing the weight of that ask would be tone-deaf.

At the same time, creative work has always evolved. Every major technological shift, from the printing press to photography to digital editing, was met with fear that human creativity would be rendered obsolete. It never was, though it was always changed. What AI is doing now is not fundamentally different in nature, even if it is unprecedented in speed and scale.

The creatives who will navigate this era most successfully are not necessarily the ones who embrace AI most enthusiastically, but the ones who stay clear-eyed about it. Understanding what AI genuinely does well, where it falls short, and what it simply cannot replicate, human perspective, lived experience, genuine emotional risk-taking, is a form of professional power.

This is not a comfortable moment. But discomfort has always been where creativity does its best work.

Sources:

https://www.wired.com/sponsored/story/omidyar-the-big-interview/ https://www.nexford.edu/insights/how-will-ai-affect-jobs https://www.economicsobservatory.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AI_Creative_Industries.pdf https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/how-will-ai-affect-the-global-workforce

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/future-of-jobs-report-2025-jobs-of-the-future-and-the-skills-you-need-to-get-them/?requestId=AI_Web_64135386f4b244b9aecb3f5788ea55eb_1772024099792 https://calibre.careers/editorial/insights/future-of-jobs-2025-creative-professionals-xxv?requestId=AI_Web_64135386f4b244b9aecb3f5788ea55eb_1772024099792