In China, the number of jobs for illustrators has dropped significantly. Why? Artificial Intelligence (AI) Streamlined Workflow…
The video game industry in China was not at its best when the scenario went downhill further in 2021: the country decided that it did not want its citizens to become addicted to games and therefore imposed a ban stating that those under 18 could only play for one hour a day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
At the time, according to xataka, there were thousands of creators who lost their jobs. In the words of Amber Yu, a freelance illustrator, things have changed dramatically.
Currently, companies the illustrator has worked for can produce similar illustrations in just a few seconds using DALL-E 2, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. So now your tasks are to make small adjustments and corrections to the images generated by the AI.
If he previously received between the equivalent of 400 and 950 euros for each job, with AI, the value now corresponds to "one tenth".
Another artist, working in Guandong, China, shared that his way of life, as well as that of his colleagues, was "suddenly destroyed". That's because, if they used to be able to create a scene or character in a day, now they can create 40 using AI. So despite being more productive, he admits that they are also more exhausted. As he shared, it is "despicable" that a human-trained system is going to replace them.
The industry has transformed so much that, according to Leo Li, an artist scout in the video game industry, the number of jobs destined for illustrators will be reduced by 70% in 2022. Because they are so capable, the systems of AI are quick questions about the need for so many employees.