The fear of AI replacing humans, particularly in creative professions, is becoming increasingly justified.
A new research from the Imperial College Business School, Harvard Business School, and the German Institute for Economic Research has revealed a concerning trend: jobs susceptible to automation are seeing a significant drop in demand.
Fields like writing, software development, and app creation have seen a 21% decrease in job postings.
The decline extends to other areas as well, with data entry and social media content editing experiencing a 13% drop. Creative fields have not been spared, with graphic design and 3D modelling (roles heavily reliant on image generation) showed a 17% decline.
Interestingly, the study found a stronger decline in sectors that actively use generative AI, suggesting that ChatGPT is directly impacting job availability.
In Nigeria, freelancing is a booming industry particularly for creative, non-technical skills such as writing. The World Bank estimates that Nigeria, along with Kenya and South Africa, has around 17.5 million online freelancers, with the majority based in Nigeria.
According to Payoneer’s 2023 freelancer report, Nigeria ranks among the top countries, alongside Bangladesh and India, with the highest number of users outside the USA.
Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr enable freelancers to earn by offering in-demand services. However, the rise of artificial intelligence poses a potential disruption to this market.
How to stay afloat
Since its release in November 2022, ChatGPT has gained widespread use in writing and coding. While some writers utilize ChatGPT and similar tools such as Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot to enhance their work, small business owners are increasingly using it to generate content, reducing the need to hire freelancer.
On social media, numerous videos and threads instruct people on leveraging AI writing and design tools to secure freelance jobs without prior knowledge or experience.
Dr Xinrong Zhu, co-author and Assistant Professor of Marketing at Imperial College Business School, offers hope especially as tools like ChatGPT has become more sophisticated and presents a growing challenge for digital freelancers.
He said freelancers can adapt by diversifying skills and specializing in areas like strategic thinking and nuanced content creation, where human creativity reigns supreme.
Also, embracing AI tools can boost productivity and quality. Building a strong personal brand and network are also vital, as they offer unique value that AI can’t replicate.
While AI can generate content, it often misses the mark: images might be flawed, articles factually incorrect, and code riddled with errors. Ultimately, human expertise remains essential to ensure quality and avoid costly mistakes.
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