Is AI really coming for your illustration career? An industry expert weighs in

One of the most common questions I hear from illustrators these days is: Will AI replace illustration? Or, more broadly, will AI take over creative jobs altogether?

This question often comes up from newer artists and beginners, and I can understand why. The uncertainty surrounding AI and the future of illustration is daunting.

For one, they're trying to decide if it's worth dedicating years of hard work to mastering a craft that might not exist in its current form five years from now. That's a fair question on the surface, but it's also rooted in some misconceptions.

Secondly, many new illustrators have struggled to find work over the last year and a half, and with all the buzz surrounding generative AI in the media, it's not a big leap to assume that AI is the reason behind it.

Are clients choosing AI over human illustrators?

Many illustrators worry clients will use generative AI rather than hiring human artists. And, in some cases, that is absolutely true. There are clients out there who, with little or no budget, will cobble together images using AI and be satisfied with the results. Others may not value human creativity highly and simply want visuals for their website or product without much thought to quality or originality.

Are those the kinds of clients you want to work for?

In industries like manufacturing or corporate sectors, where creative work may not be a priority, clients might use AI-generated images to fill spaces in PowerPoint presentations or to make annual reports look less boring. In these cases, their customers probably won't care much about whether the images are AI-generated or not. That is an ideal use case for generative AI or stock images.

However, the picture changes when you consider clients and industries that value human creativity. Many clients don't want AI-generated imagery to be part of what they create.

As Handsome Frank pointed out on their Instagram earlier this year, some clients have even started adding clauses in their contracts that expressly forbid the use of AI tools in creative work.

Imagine your favourite picture book publisher producing a children's book using generative AI. The backlash would be swift and fierce. The people buying those books can tell when something lacks the human touch—they don't want soulless illustrations with no warmth, creativity, or personal connection. Choosing AI over a human illustrator would be an enormous betrayal, and a publisher choosing to do so would alienate a large section of their fans and readership.

Of course, it's not just about avoiding backlash. Creative professionals working in children's publishing have no interest in producing cheap, charmless books for their readers. They want to work with talented artists and authors to create books that are inspiring, meaningful and magical for their young audience–something only a human artist or author can do.

Let's not forget that the people likely to commission illustrators–art directors, designers and producers–are creatives themselves. They have a vested interest in keeping AI at bay, not just for the sake of illustrators but for their own careers as well. It doesn't mean corporate bigwigs can't overrule them, but we are in the same boat, and these creatives who work for your clients will fight hard to keep working with skilled human illustrators.

AI is changing industries across the board, and it's fair to say that not many people thought it would be coming after creative jobs first. Working in the creative industries has always been tough. Freelancers are no strangers to the feast-and-famine cycle of being impossibly busy one month and hearing nothing but crickets the next.

For illustrators, this is even more challenging because illustration is often the first thing to get cut if there's any sign of economic uncertainty. Illustration is a luxury for our clients.

They like and want it, but if their budgets are tight, they need to spend that money on more essential things to get their products in front of their customers.

While I don't believe most clients—at least not the good ones—are choosing AI over human illustrators, the industry has been quiet for over a year. This means many established illustrators who previously had more work than they could handle are now less busy. They may have passed on lower-paying gigs when work was plentiful, leaving those opportunities open to newer artists. But now, times are tight, and work is less abundant, so they may consider those lower-paying projects more seriously. This means the clients who are hiring may be able to get a more experienced and well-known illustrator for a lower price. This makes it even more difficult for a new illustrator to get a foothold in the industry.

Illustrators have been competing for work for a very long time–with each other, photographers, and stock image libraries. Their clients also have the option not to use visuals at all. Unfortunately, we've got one more thing to compete with now.

AI is having an enormous impact on every level of every industry, including illustration. While it's tempting to correlate our industry being quiet with clients using AI and not hiring as much, the reality is more complex. Many of our clients and their parent companies are going through major changes and uncertainty as they explore how AI can revolutionise their businesses. Whether they're investing heavily in AI or being more careful with their budgets to see how things shake out, their creative departments may be the first to feel the pinch.

Adding to this is that 2024 is an election year in many parts of the world, with 64 elections occurring globally. Election years typically bring economic uncertainty, and companies will be more cautious in their spending in anticipation of possible changes in regulations, tax policies, and market conditions. This leads to project delays, reduced marketing spending, and layoffs–all of which trickle down to affect freelance creatives like illustrators.

The good news is that economic cycles and caution will pass. Once the political situation stabilises, we can expect budgets to loosen up again. AI isn't going anywhere, but I expect the buzz to die down as it finds its place in the world. Right now, AI is a major disruptor and at the peak of its hype cycle, but over time, as people and companies become more familiar with it, the buzz will settle down and normalise.

When digital cameras were introduced in the 1990s, professional photographers were understandably concerned that they would no longer be needed. If anyone had access to a low-cost, easy-to-use, good-quality camera, not to mention access to Photoshop to edit photos, who would hire a photographer? Of course, those fears subsided as photographers embraced digital cameras and used them in ways amateurs with smartphone cameras can't. They focused on the things only they could offer: their creative eye, attention to detail and expertise in their field. This example is limited to one group of creatives–photographers– whereas AI has a much broader impact across multiple industries. The hype around AI is more extreme, but it's being developed and adopted much faster than digital cameras were. While the buzz may eventually settle, AI's role will continue to evolve, and how it integrates into different creative fields will change over time.

Yes, competition for freelance illustration jobs is fiercer, and clients are spending less on creative work in this period of economic uncertainty, but that will pass. Our clients will experiment with using AI for appropriate creative purposes (and probably some inappropriate ones), but it won't replace illustrators. There will always be a demand for human creativity.

If you're a new illustrator wondering if AI will take over the illustration industry, you ask a very practical question. It takes years of deliberate and focused effort to get really good at a creative skillset like illustration. It's reasonable for anyone to consider how they use their most precious resource: time. If those years of practice won't ever provide you with a way to make a living, maybe you'd be better off focusing on something that will. However, practice and persistence were essential for creatives long before AI became a real concern.

The practical reason to ask that question is important. But it doesn't factor in the very real human desire to create. Would the band you see gigging around your local pubs stop practising because other bands in their genre already have record deals? Would a dancer stop dancing or a writer stop writing just because there's competition?

The truth is, you won't know if you can make a living from your art until you put in the practice.

Here's another practical point of view: if you invest the time to develop your skills and style, you'll be in a stronger position when the industry is booming again.

There's always an ebb and flow to demand in the creative industries. While it might take you a bit longer to get your foot in the door now than it did a few years ago, there is always room for dedicated, skilled illustrators. If you want to be an illustrator, now is the perfect time to prepare yourself for your future career.