Generative AI And The Future Of Creative Jobs

The sudden popularity of generative AI has re-generated a popular pre-pandemic preoccupation: How many jobs will AI destroy? Some prediction experts predicted a decade ago that almost half of U.S. jobs could be replaced by AI by 2023 (!) or, at most, by 2033, mainly impacting low-skill jobs (e.g., no more truck drivers because we will have self-driving trucks). Other crystal-ball observers argued that in contrast to previous waves of automation, we are entering a new era in which the most affected will be highly-skilled knowledge workers. The tight labor market of recent years has suppressed somewhat these dire predictions. The widespread excitement about generative AI, however, is bringing back the anxiety about jobs, especially the creative kind of jobs.