Politano: U.S. creative sector lost 200,000+ jobs in AI's rise

The U.S. has shed more than 200,000 jobs in creative industries over the past four years, with roughly 50,000 of those gone in the last year alone, according to an analysis by writer and economist Joseph Politano cited by Marketplace's Morning Report.

Film and TV accounts for the sharpest drop: more than 100,000 jobs lost, nearly a third of the sector's workforce. Written publishing has shed over 70,000. "That makes for one of the worst stretches for media employment in modern US history," Politano wrote, noting that the last comparable declines came during the 2001 and 2008 recessions. This time there is no broader recession.

The timing lines up with ChatGPT's November 2022 launch, and the declines have clustered in graphic design, broadcasting, publishing, and movie and sound recording. Jobs tied to in-person experiences, including museums and performing arts, have continued to grow.

Politano is careful not to pin it all on AI. "Proving the exact amount of AI-driven job loss in the arts is extremely difficult," he writes, listing consolidation in Hollywood, offshoring of content production, and the continued displacement of traditional media providers in favor of social media creators as parallel forces. Roughly 32% of workers in arts, entertainment and recreation report using generative AI, below the 62% average across all industries. Two of the researchers we track flagged the piece this week.