AI is changing how artists work rather than reducing their employment, research finds

Analysis of Gallup polling data identified which artistic occupations face the most AI exposure: composers and art directors could plausibly have their outputs done by AI, while dancers would be far harder to replace.

Even the most AI-exposed creators reported working slightly more hours in 2024 than in 2022, suggesting AI was not reducing their workload. Artists reported using the technology somewhat more than the national average, often to experiment with ideas, generate drafts, or organize workflow.

AI is not yet reducing artists' employment, though it is changing how they work—a pattern similar to past technological shifts like gramophones and cameras, which were predicted to replace live music and painting but did not.