Unbelievable! AI writer does a better job than freelancers, which threatens jobs and shakes up the Gig Economy.

The bad side of AI: Lack of trust and accusations of plagiarism

As more freelancers use ChatGPT to do their work, clients on job sites like Upwork and Fiverr are getting a lot of offers for projects that are almost exactly the same. This has made clients and freelancers less likely to trust each other and has led to transactional disagreements and skepticism in the freelancing community.

Business expert and Upwork client Sean O’Dowd saw this firsthand when he posted two jobs and got close to 300 applications. He thinks that more than 200 of the applications were made using ChatGPT. Upwork doesn’t have an AI detection tool built into the platform, so O’Dowd used detection software from Writer, an AI company that works with businesses, to judge the proposals.

Google’s Part in the Rise of AI

As more companies hire freelancers to write website-traffic-driving content, Google’s ranking of ChatGPT-written content becomes an important feature. Google said in February that it would give more weight to high-quality, original content, even if it was written by AI, and downgrade trash content.

Adelle Archer, a client of Upwork who hires freelancers to do different jobs for her memorial diamond business Eterneva, shows how important Google’s position on AI-generated material is: “If Google figures out that the piece written by AI isn’t as good as the other ones and demotes it, it defeats the purpose of what you’re paying for.”

Even though there are worries, some freelancers like Alex Fasulo, who has been working on Fiverr for nine years and says he makes six figures a year, are still upbeat. Fasulo thinks that clients will continue to pay for human-created content because they know that AI-created content might not help their website rank as well on Google.

Adapt or Die: How Freelancing Will Change in the Future

Because of the rise of ChatGPT, freelancers have had to change and get better at what they do to stay important. Upwork gives advice on how to find a job and how to negotiate, and it also has a program that connects top-rated freelancers with special job openings. Fiverr’s Learn platform also has classes on different skills to help freelancers keep up with the market. Is that enough?

Many freelancers are learning new skills and focusing in niche areas, but others are using ChatGPT to their advantage to take a different approach. By using AI tools to handle some of their work, they can spend more time on creative and strategic tasks and give their clients more value. A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute says that people will need more creativity, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving skills in the next few years. This strategy may work.

It’s clear that the gig economy is going through a big change, and workers need to change with it if they want to stay competitive. As AI continues to make waves in the world of freelancing, it’s important for workers to invest in their skills, focus in niche areas, and learn how to use AI to their advantage. The future of freelancing may not be clear, but there is one thing that is certain: those who are open to change and keep getting better will be better able to succeed in this new age.

Will AI keep making gains in the gig economy, or will human workers still be needed? Just wait and see. In this brave new world of AI-driven content creation, it’s clear that writers need to step up their game if they want to stay in business. Don’t miss the next big turn in this ongoing story. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on what’s happening in the worlds of freelancing and AI.