Risky business: how digital artists perceive generative AI

Grounded in Marx’s critique of capitalism, the study examines digital artists’ perceptions of the risks posed by generative AI tools that may enduringly reshape the culture of creative labor. Twenty-two in-depth interviews with digital artists in the entertainment industry were conducted. The study finds that digital artists perceived four types of personal and structural risks posed by generative AI. The personal risks include career and psychological risks, while the structural risks include industry and societal risks. Regarding personal risks, participants expressed concerns about job loss, deskilling, mimicry, increasing time pressure, and wage suppression. Many expressed feelings of anxiety, depression, existential concerns, and violation. On the industry level, participants highlighted the risks of inferior product quality, copyright, creative stagnation, discouragement of new talent, and market saturation. Societally, concerns centered around job losses among other professions, cognitive decline, privacy, disinformation, and widening inequality. The study has important implications for the emerging research on perceived risks of generative AI.