AI & Creativity

The impact of AI on creative labor and cultural production

What will count as creative labor as algorithms make headway in creative production? 

The recent diffusion of generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) models has sparked concerns about the impact these technologies might have on creative and cultural expression. Even though current generative AI tools are only capable of producing derivative works by mining large datasets of multimedia content, their creative potential—real or imagined—raises critical questions about the future of cultural expression and creative production. 

The 2023 Writers Guild of America strike over—among other things—the use of AI for generating movie scripts is a testament to how widespread preoccupations about the implications of automation on creative workflows are, even in the upper echelon of knowledge-based and creative industries. 

The protests underline the necessity to come to terms with the effects of AI on cultural expression. Therefore, in my new research project, I address the following research questions:

  • How will creative workers’ expertise, autonomy, and control over the creative process be affected by the introduction of AI? 
  • Who will benefit, and who will bear the brunt of automation in the creative industries? 
  • At a more fundamental level, what will count as creative labor as algorithms make headway in creative production?

I approach these questions by conducting an extensive ethnographic investigation of the Vancouver visual effects (VFX) industry. By paying attention to the lived experiences of creative workers experimenting, adapting, sabotaging, resisting, and accommodating AI tools into their workflows, the research provides valuable insights into the consequences of automation on creative labor and knowledge work in general. 

Why the VFX industry?

The VFX industry is a perfect case study for investigating the impact of generative AI on cultural forms because of the key role technology has historically played in this sector. 

In the 1970s, the advent of computer graphics and digital editing revolutionized postproduction and animation techniques. The shift from celluloid to bits that unfolded in the following two decades determined a drastic cut in editing costs and expanded the creative possibilities available to editors and directors. 

Now, 50 years later, AI promises to revolutionize postproduction once again. These applications have the potential to streamline the work of VFX artists by automating repetitive yet complex tasks such as green screen keying, de-noising, and rotoscoping. 

The impact of these technologies on visual artists’ control over the creative process is, however, still understudied.

Workplan

I will conduct a multi-sited ethnographic investigation of the Vancouver (BC) VFX industry. 

Vancouver is a unique location to study the VFX industry, as a favorable exchange rate, generous tax credits, and the same time zone as Los Angeles have all contributed to making Vancouver the Hollywood of the North. 

The city hosts 150 VFX and postproduction studios employing more than 8,000 people and is home to three world-renowned VFX schools. 

The ethnographic inquiry will involve interviews with participants, shadowing, and attending events as a participant observer. The research project is expected to span two years.

  • Year 1: Before approaching the research field, I will conduct an extensive review of academic and trade literature about the diffusion of AI in the creative industries with a focus on VFX and postproduction applications. 
  • Year 2: Fieldwork in Vancouver (interviews, participant observation, shadowing). 

Knowledge and policy contribution

The research will expand our knowledge around automation and creativity, enhance our understanding of the effect of generative AI in knowledge-based industries, and identify ways to intervene—politically and technically—to create more just and inclusive workplaces. 

The results will serve as important resources for scholars and students in fields such as political economy, media studies, critical data studies, labor studies, and organization studies. 

Additionally, the outcomes will contribute to ongoing legislative efforts to regulate the implementation of AI in the workplace, as outlined in the EU Artificial Intelligence Act , in the U.S. Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, and Canada’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA).

Status updates

  • January 2025
    • Our 4S panel was accepted 🎉
    • Our submission to ICA was rejected 😔
    • We resumed the CLAID reading group
  • November-December 2024
    • Organized 2 more sessions of the reading group (more info here);
      • In the last session of the year (Dec.3), Tiziana Terranova joined us to discuss how autonomia can help us understand AI implications for labor;
    • Submitted a panel proposal to 4S 2025. 
  • October 2024
    • Organized first 2 sessions of the reading group (more info here)
    • Submitted an extended abstract to ICA 2025 
  • September 2024:
    • Launched a new research stream on Creative Labor, AI and Democracy (CLAID) at the Digital Democracy Institute
    • Organized a reading group on AI, labor and creativity;
    • Preparing submissions to ICA 2025.
  • June 2024:
    • Organized and chaired a panel on AI and Creativity at the 2024 ICA conference (Gold Coast, Australia).
  • February 2024:
    • Secured funding from SSHRC

Credits: