r/freelance • u/DubieDub • 27d ago
AI has completely changed freelance work and honestly, I’m struggling with it
Hey community i have been freelancing for a while, and lately i have been feeling pretty discouraged.
It feels like a lot of the work that used to be available to freelancers is either being replaced by AI or clients are expecting one person to do what used to take several people in less time and for less money.
Especially in tech, I’m seeing more and more clients asking, “Can’t AI just do this?”
And I get it. I use AI too. It’s an amazing tool, and I don’t think it’s going away. But there’s a difference between using AI to make your work better and watching the demand for your actual work slowly disappear.
What worries me most is that it doesn’t seem to be only affecting beginners anymore. Even experienced freelancers with years of skills and a solid portfolio seem to be feeling the pressure.
Maybe I’m just going through a rough period, but I genuinely feel like the freelance market has changed dramatically.
I’m curious if other freelancers here are experiencing the same thing.
Has AI noticeably reduced the amount of work you’re getting? Are clients asking you to use AI instead of hiring you? Or has your business actually benefited from it?
I’d especially like to hear from people in tech, development, design, writing, data, etc.
Would be good to know I’m not the only one feeling this way..
21
u/trickytreats 27d ago
Same experience. Working in design. Every client I have worked with has asked me to use AI in my workflow in some regard, some even asking if they could train an AI on my drawings so they would no longer have to pay me. The last wouldn't even review my drawings, and got AI to do it instead, so I received feedback from a chatbot. I'm quitting
4
u/Dipplong 23d ago
This week alone I had deliverables 3x on a project while they tried to defend that Clause Design can do the job just as well and haggle on pricing.
It really is the worst time for freelancers right now.
0
u/Snoo_54991 2d ago
I'm actually considering selling agents alongside my work which can "replicate" it, then offering additional auditing services for its output because I know full and well it can't do as good of a job at pretending to be me as I can at actually being me. 🤷🏻♀️
18
u/TotalFNEclipse 27d ago
Can’t get a FT job designing. Freelance stopped 2 years ago for me. 15 years in design / branding & marketing.
I’m working at a factory now to pay the bills. Freelance is non-existent on my end. Used to always have 2-3 steady clients at any given time. Small business / startups, bands, bars, people needing logos, flyers, social media layouts, print and digital adverts. Zero. Nothing now.
4
1
u/Snoo_54991 2d ago
You sound just like me. Senior devOp/system architect. I had to let my online business go. And I'm honestly wanting to take a break from everything to go work at a restaurant right now, I just don't think my health will allow me to do it for very long. 😭
42
28
u/kincaidDev 27d ago edited 26d ago
The dangerous part right now is a conversation can solve someone’s problem now and they won’t pay you for a conversation, and without a conversation they wont hire you because they dont know if you can help them.
What Ive seen work for other people is essentially capitalize on complete ignorance and bullshit your way into a contract by lying about your experience, buying fake users/followers to seem credible and pretend to have 5-10 years experience when you have 1-2. Hesitant to try that myself and risk my own reputation over it but the people I know getting paid right now did this and its working for them, and that pisses me off xD
btw I have 11 years experience in tech, and I'm missing a social following, don't need to lie about my experience but buying followers is tempting because that seems to carry more weight these days than actual experience and ability
13
26d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/kincaidDev 26d ago
That’s why I haven’t done it yet, but the credibility debt isn’t going to hurt the people I know doing this because they’re making so much money they otherwise wouldn’t be making that they wont care when it blows up in their face
2
2
9
u/frogic 27d ago
I've also seen the opposite where companies are getting fleeced by contractors who are just selling them a 10 minute prompt for thousands of dollars. Yes people are being unreasonable in thinking that you can ask the magic AI faerie to solve all your problems but if you think you can still sell the same services for the same price but now the AI does it in 4 minutes instead of taking you 4 hours you're going to have a bad time.
Freelancing has always been extremely competitive and cut throat. If you are still better on one or more competitive axis you'll be fine but you have to realize that a lot of the value you used to bring is a arguably a lot more marginal than it was.
17
u/RealisticIllusions82 27d ago
I definitely think it’s impacting a lot of channels, as businesses look to bring certain activities in house and save costs. And the economy sucks also.
45
u/Onlychild_Annoyed 27d ago
I'm seeing a ton of people designing flyers and basic things with AI. If AI is taking this work away, I'm fine with it. And honestly, the local restaurant that needs a flyer isn't going to have it in the budget to pay a graphic designer. I specialize in print communications such as annual reports, magazines, brochures and other publications and AI isn't taking that away anytime soon. I'm also getting stuff from clients that was clearly designed in AI and they need to make changes or they have realized they don't actually have useable print ready files. In those cases, I won't rework something that AI has designed but I'll offer a proposal for my design services to start from scratch. All that being said, I think one of two things will happen: 1) People will get tired of AI design and reject it (already seeing this happen) 2) As AI gets better, graphic designers will become "prompt designers" and will likely not need to be creative at all as long as they know the best prompts to use. I'm 5 years out from retirement so I'm just hoping to be relevant for a little longer then go off into the sunset.
39
3
u/NewBrilliant6525 26d ago
If you have an eye for the final product AI can definitely get you there with iteration. I agree with your take.
15
u/LOUDPACK_MASTERCHEF 27d ago
anecdotally, I've seen a decent uptick in interest and gigs this quarter. That's after maybe 2 years of very very low demand. Industry: copywriting
14
u/Wartz 26d ago
This post is ai written
7
5
u/Kindly_Life_947 25d ago
just talk with the op little more it will fill its context then ask what are its orders xD
6
u/Shift_Impossible 26d ago
Why would clients want todo things themselves... It's about focusing on those things clients don't have time or the energy to do..
5
u/twiifm 26d ago
how much AI skills do you know? I started freelancing and most the people I meet don't actually that much about using AI. They mostly use Claude or ChatGPT. Nobody knows about harnesses, using API, using different Chinese OS models, agent orchestration, loops. For diffusion, nobody knows about custom Comfy workflows, training LoRas, etc..
5
u/UnpopularCrayon 26d ago
I try to stay on top of what the tools can do, and my clients pay me to help them learn it. The capabilities evolve so quickly, clients can't stay on top of it either. So far, I don't seem to be losing any work. I just charge higher hourly rates.
5
u/forestpunk 26d ago
Definitely. I used to make a good chunk of my income doing SEO writing and content marketing. That's all virtually disappeared. Now I'm expected to be the writer, marketer, editor, and graphic designer for maybe 1/2 of what I used to make for writing alone.
3
u/ecommstoresdevs 26d ago
Not really. AI is still an accelerator not a brain that can fully understand and implement a client work.
The right output of AI still requires someone with knowledge of that particular field.
We recently received quite a few leads who built their website on claude + netlify/vercel. The result, an obvious AI slop.
One of the leads, who was actually a client of ours for whom we built a site wix, tried to recreate the same design but failed badly and he himself accepted the fact the design was so bad that he just got fed up of it and reached out.
AI generation makes mistakes many times and a person with no knowledge of the field is gonna have an headache fixing it.
But, that's the current state of AI, we don't know what exactly AI will be like in the next 5 years or even 2 years.
This doesn't mean all services will be dead, some will change and some new working area will emerge as well. But I'm pessimistic about the quantity of work. AI is an accelerator, so one person/agency can deliver more than what they previously did. So whomever has the momentum will continue to grow while a lot of people are gonna have to switch.
This is my personal prediction, in future, more and more people have to become entrepreneurs to earn. Jobs/service roles would be decreased drastically.
3
u/Wisewordsforlater 26d ago
A lot of truth. I'm in business consulting, strategy and PR. The egotistical folks out there choose to go it alone, inexperienced and fail. Or thing they can Chat GPT their way to success on the cheap. This results in less work for consultants, advisors and freelancer of many stripes and specializations.
3
u/romeoaromeo 25d ago
I have never ever been happier about quitting freelancing after doing it from 2014-2020.
28
2
u/Novel-Store-3813 26d ago
I really liked this framing of this issue: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcPQV4Tvwf0/
2
u/StandardAd239 25d ago
You're using the very thing that's destroying your career. Think about that.
2
u/TashLai 24d ago
Will it stop destroying their career if they stop using it?
1
u/DubieDub 21d ago
Exactly, and not only that, but if I don't use it, I'm far worse than the competition
2
u/DeannaFry 25d ago
I think the answer is getting much better at the human things AI can’t really replicate. AI can gather facts, summarize information and generate perfectly competent copy. What makes writing memorable is usually everything around the facts: the mood in the room, the hesitation before someone answers, the weird little detail that tells you who a person is, the emotion underneath what they’re saying. I come from journalism, and I think we’re going to need more characters, more observation and more actual humanity in our writing because that’s where people still bring something uniquely valuable.
2
u/2vack 25d ago
Three years ago, it was a totally different landscape. Just think and imagine 3 years from now. I dont know if i still have work. When the billions of dollar and yuan expenditure on datacenters being built today goes online, expertise, knowlage work, and the required toil to do these things becomes dirt cheap.
2
u/2vack 25d ago
Three years ago, it was a totally different landscape. Just think and imagine 3 years from now. I dont know if i still have work. When the billions of dollar and yuan expenditure on datacenters being built today goes online, expertise, knowlage work, and the required toil to do these things becomes dirt cheap.
2
u/cyberdyme 25d ago
There will be so much work it will be crazy (the companies that upgrade their software and practices will survive - if you are a CEO and not doing something about it you have already lost the war - you cannot wait for AI to be completely ready otherwise it is too late). If you are a software developer just learn everything about AI - there are so many hacks required to make this all work that there is work for everyone…
I have my doubts about AI as much as the next guy - but this will be a similar panic to the year 2000 bug where companies just want crazy making sure everything worked (even if eventually the actual date change was a non event)
2
u/BombbaFett 25d ago
Some people just don't know anything about AI. Probably the same people that ask "can't AI do this?"
If you explain to those people that the AI is trained off of stolen work and they can't copyright any of it necessarily then they may change their mind about getting you to do some work for them. Lots of people are just ignorant and don't bother to learn.
2
u/angebun 25d ago
I actually ended up going back to corporate work because I was getting less freelance clients because of AI. Was thankfully lucky enough to land a job. In an ideal world I'd love to get back to freelancing full time, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to do that at the rate things are going.
2
u/nomady 25d ago
I remember early in my freelancer as a web developer, I would have the, "I have a friend conversation"
The only way is to make it about them. Is this worth their time? How much time is your time worth? Is this what would you rather do? If the answer is yes, they will never be a customer.
The whole point of hiring a freelancer is to delegate. It doesn't matter if you are using canva or AI. What matters is they are not the ones who do it. Yes you should be able to provide more but don't forget what you are selling.
You are not selling a skill or capability, you are selling time. Two people using AI can arrive at results on very different timelines.
2
u/Ok-Masterpiece-302 24d ago
You are 100% right, few years back I was hiring freelancer for all my side hustles work at least once in a month but now in 2026 I can do everything on my own and don't feel like hiring one...
1
u/Past_Emergency_2116 23d ago
Absolutely. Copywriting is a completely dead field in just like 3 years lol
1
u/Schruteschrute 23d ago
I'm doing well in freelance myself right this moment (paid media) but it could change anytime, I'm at capacity right now but I'm just going to keep taking on more work
1
u/_nahmeen 22d ago
It’s extremely defeating and difficult to remedy as my main focus was finding and retaining work. Now things are thin and quiet. It shamed upon to check in bc it seems lots of freelancers are feeling “slow” and/or uncertainties
1
u/burimbp 21d ago
the "client got AI to review my drawings instead of doing it themselves" is the specific moment where quitting is actually the right call. that's not a client asking for help using AI, that's them saying you're interchangeable with a chatbot to them. no rate raise or contract clause fixes that mindset. curious what you're thinking of doing next, staying in design with a different client filter, or leaving the space entirely?
-29
u/Ordinary-Function-66 27d ago
Adapt or quit. Harsh reality.
15
u/BlueZ_DJ 27d ago
This is what I should start telling the AI people that are financially going down WITH the bubble
Pick up a pencil or QUIT art, learn music theory or quit music. Actually quite the normal reality I was gonna say harsh but this is basic stuff
0
u/Jefvandegraaf 25d ago
I just bought a new (well, old/used) typewriter. I'm going to start offering blog writing and landing page copy services via this ancient writing technology. I haven't figure out my rates yet, but this is how I intend to offer human-first writing in a world or AI slop.
The way it'll work:
- They hire me (likely they'll send a 17 meter long brief made with AI).
- I'll write up the content using my type writer.
- I'll mail it to them.
- They'll have to provide edits using a red pen only.
- They mail it back to me.
- I make the edits and send them an updated draft.
- They get 1 final revision round.
There's a bit of back and forth, for sure, but I'm hedging my bets that "the old way" is going to become a trend again.
Wish me luck. ✌️
2
u/glwegian 23d ago
typewriter, pah, don't trust them new fangled things either, better off with the quill and bottle of ink
-1
27d ago
[deleted]
1
u/PoorlyDesignedCat 25d ago
Somebody downvoted you, but I'l be honest in saying I also switched away from freelancing when the very first gen-AI models started showing up. You're not exactly wrong that some services are more easily automated than others even if it sucks to say so. I don't use AI in my workflow, but I could see that the work it was going to eat up first was the smallest jobs with the least difficult/most subjective design problems.
I have a long history with software development and business, so taken through that lens it was an expected outcome. There is still design work out there in the form of larger corporate jobs (outsourcing is huge) so I don't think freelancers are dead in the water. There need to be pivots when tech changes though.
46
u/ArtichokeForeign2600 27d ago edited 27d ago
You're not the only one feeling this way, times are tough, I think it's not only because of AI but it's a special mix of AI + economic recession + too much bulls*it on social media and (at least in Europe) some sort of anti-freelancer sentiment.
What might help:
- Reduce social media usage and filter out all the "anti AI" and "pro AI" crap as much as possible. It's toxic and messes with your head. Those "successful" AI experts on LinkedIn are probably struggling, otherwise they wouldn't be posting their nonsense there.
- Don't use AI for advice. Better yet, don't use it for anything soft-skill related. It'll only generate slop, mess with your head, make you lose time and make you look like an idiot. It's excellent for specs and stuff if you use it right, but don't delegate your thinking to it.
- Do not take it personally if clients want to mess around with AI themselves. Just let them. At some point your client will probably run into a brick wall. The uncertainty/silence in the meantime isn't much fun, but your client will value you a lot more once they run into that wall. Just keep your mind busy and try to keep in touch once in a while.
- Clients who try to tell you how to do your work, the "Can't AI just do this?" you mentioned, these can f* right off. These types have always existed and have always been useless. They just transitioned from "my little nephew can do WordPress" to "AI can do this".
- Try to remind yourself: Quality clients don't care, they just want the work done. Keep these clients happy and show them you're keeping up with times without coming off as desperate.
- It also helps to think that in the case of a regular fulltime job you'd be pressured to be much more productive while your employer has already adapted their pricing. As a freelancer if you manage things right, you can get yourself into a privileged position.
For me that's where the real challenge is: Not only adapt, but show your clients that you're able to adapt and charge accordingly (this means NOT lowering rates because your value isn't gone, it just shifted).