[Column] Bas Vlugt: Jobs in the creative industry under massive pressure from AI

Wake up!

For a long time, many people thought AI was just a modern form of automation, mainly affecting routine, repetitive work.

The reality is that AI is particularly well-suited to perform analytical and intellectual tasks — quickly, accurately, and cheaply.

In the creative industry, there's a persistent myth that AI cannot be creative. That is, it cannot produce real creativity. It cannot develop a Big Creative Idea.

Even if that's true, we should ask ourselves how many people in our industry are actually working on Big Creative Ideas on a daily basis.

We can make the threat concrete with two lists Microsoft published this week: the jobs most under pressure from AI and those least under pressure from AI.

These creative industry jobs are most under pressure from AI

The number next to the job represents its ranking in the overall list of jobs most under pressure from AI:

Interpreters and translators
Sales managers
Writers and authors
Radio DJs and presenters
Telemarketers
News analysts, reporters, journalists
Technical writers
Copy markers
Editors (text and video editing)
PR specialists
Product promoters
Advertising salespeople
Statistical assistants
Data scientists
Web developers
Models (fashion)
Market research analysts

There's no exact number available, but it's estimated that around 1 percent of the worldwide workforce works in media, advertising, marketing (agencies), market research, and PR.

Of the 40 jobs in the economy most under pressure, 17 are in the creative industry (43%).

And I still see missing roles in this list. Microsoft may consider them too niche to include across the total economy. For instance, a year ago demand for freelance editors and illustrators had already halved. As far as I'm concerned, these jobs could easily be added to the top 10.

Media agencies

Media agency employees seem to have escaped the list but absolutely belong there. There's no doubt that the media planner role is prey for AI. I'd place this role in the "too niche for Microsoft's research" category — but it's definitely top-10 material.

ChatGPT puts it this way:

AI is changing the role of media planners in ways that put their traditional tasks under significant pressure — but it also creates new opportunities. Here's how: Automation of repetitive tasks. AI tools can already handle much of the manual work media planners do, such as:

Calculating GRPs, CPMs, and reach
Allocating budgets across channels
Drafting media plans based on historical data

Programmatic platforms and AI-driven DSPs automate much of media planning and buying, reducing the need for planners who focus on execution.

Predictive models and optimization. AI can predict which media and channel mix will perform best using large datasets — faster and often more accurately than manual planner analyses. This shifts the role of media planners from decision-makers to supervisors of AI models.

Real-time adjustments. AI-powered systems can dynamically adjust campaigns based on live performance (e.g., shifting budgets to better-performing channels). This reduces the need for daily interventions and undermines the classic role of manual optimization.

Growing demand for strategic and creative skills. On the flip side: as AI removes much of the execution, there's greater need for planners who can:

Provide strategic advice on brand positioning and channel selection
Translate AI insights into creative and commercial strategies
Ensure ethics, brand safety, and compliance in complex ad ecosystems

In short: The media planner who only fills spreadsheets is disappearing, but the strategic media consultant remains essential.

Inhousing trend doubles the pressure

AI doesn't just reduce the number of people needed to do the work — it also shrinks the amount of work overall. That's because almost all creative industry work is directly or indirectly for clients. These clients now also have access to AI tools, making inhousing much more accessible. Creating a campaign, doing market research, analyzing data, or building a media plan — these tasks are increasingly within reach for clients themselves.

Jobs in the creative industry that are least under pressure from AI?

Yeah, in your dreams. None.

So what now? Is there hope?

Alright, everyone depressed. Now what — is there hope? Yes, there's always hope. AI is moving incredibly fast, but here are the trends I believe we can expect in the near future:

Slowing of new hires.The creative industry will likely reduce its intake of new employees. Media companies and agencies will hire fewer people. Over time, the number of employees per company in this industry could drop by dozens of percent. Work that used to require 50 people could eventually be done by 30. This is bad news for starters. For them: become excellent, highly effective, develop unique skills, start your own company, or look for work in another industry.

Consolidation of agencies (and media).More agencies will inevitably disappear. I don't think this will happen on a massive scale in the short term, but agencies will downsize and consolidate. Mergers and acquisitions will become common. Defensive strategies will play a key role. This will make agencies more cost-effective — attractive for clients (or put another way: budgets are under pressure, and agencies must adapt). Agencies will also need to develop new propositions aligned with the AI era. For this, I highly recommend Michel van Velde's column on AI Agents.

Raising quality standards.This isn't talked about much, but it's crucial. AI can create beautiful graphic material — but so can everyone else. Everyone can now run complex analyses. In other words: standards are rising. The question remains: how do you stand out? How do you influence brand preference? How do you optimize client outcomes in this new world? Professionals who can answer these questions will thrive.

All jobs in the creative industry will get an AI component.Everyone in our industry will need to develop AI skills — fast. If you're unwilling to do that, your job will eventually disappear. For most roles, this means transformation rather than disappearance. And since we at Marketing Report also work with AI, we'll let ChatGPT have the last word here:

AI changes the role but doesn't replace all creativity

AI can already sketch, write, edit, and even compose music — but creative concept development, brand strategy, and cultural relevance remain deeply human. Where AI excels: speed, variation, optimization (e.g., 50 versions of a visual).

Where humans remain essential: adding meaning, emotion, and nuance; understanding context; safeguarding brand identity.

Hope: Creative professionals will shift from makers to directors of creativity.

New roles emerging around AI creativity

Demand is growing for roles like:

Prompt engineers & creative technologists: people who skillfully use AI tools to create original output.
Creative strategists: translating AI insights into creative campaigns.
Ethics and brand safety coordinators: ensuring AI content is brand-compliant and legally sound.

Hope: Creatives who embrace technology can become the new "super-creatives."

More demand for hyper-personalized and interactive content

AI makes mass personalization feasible (think personalized ads, interactive content, AR/VR experiences).

Companies are looking for people who can strategically determine which stories are relevant to which audiences — and how to tell them using new technologies.

Hope: Creatives become indispensable as curators of meaningful, personalized content experiences.

Entrepreneurship and niche specialization

Large-scale production will be automated, but there will still be space for:

Artisanal, premium, and artistic content (illustration, photography, craftsmanship).
Specialist creative agencies that combine technology with unique human creativity.

Hope: Small, distinctive creative studios and freelancers with a unique style or niche will remain valuable.

What does this mean for creative professionals?