Pilot study shows generative AI use in creative industries impacts entry level roles

The group of ten academics involved represent a wide spectrum of creative industries, from industrial and visual design through to screen arts, music, digital media and communications.

Lead researcher and music industry expert, Associate Professor Dave Carter says the key purpose of the study was to shine a light on the current use and impacts of AI in the creative sector in Aotearoa, and the short-to-medium term implications.

“There’s a lot of polarised and future focussed discussion about AI and we don’t really know who’s using it in our creative sector, particularly among smaller businesses, and how they are using it. This research is a step towards answering those questions.”

The pilot study involved ten one-hour interviews with industry representatives across the creative sector including film makers, musicians, design agencies and digital artists.

Associate Professor Carter says one of the most surprising findings was that although interviewees were concerned about displacement of paid roles due to generative AI, they could not identify any specific examples of this happening, to date.

However, the study did indicate that generative AI tools are being used throughout the sector for low-value administrative tasks, and to replace the low paid, freelance, and unpaid labour traditionally used to build portfolios, credentials and professional networks.

One interviewee described generative AI as replacing “the work people do to get a foot in the door.”

Many said they see AI as a time saver, enabling productivity gains, but having no noticeable impact on profitability. Most interviewees said they would not deploy AI outputs commercially without extensive human review.

Gwen Isaac, an independent filmmaker and Senior Lecturer in Screen Arts at Massey University’s Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts, says the study provides valuable information for educators working with the next generation of creatives.

Gwen Isaac says it’s incumbent on creators and educators to use AI tools mindfully and responsibly, and ensure teaching equips students with knowledge around AI ethics and community responsibility.

“My films are made with mostly tiny and inexperienced teams that benefit from being able to use AI tools in certain instances, but paradoxically, by not subcontracting, we are then cheating someone out of a valuable entry-level employment experience. It's a double bind that we need to start exposing, interrogating and resolving in order to build capacity for our fragile and isolated creative sectors.”

Associate Professor Dave Carter is presenting the findings of the pilot study at the AI and Creativity Summit in Wellington this Wednesday 6 May.