Freelancers are struggling to balance integrity and making money as AI threatens to devalue their work
- There are an estimated 17.5 million online freelancers in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, with most of them being from Nigeria.
- The emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT threatens the freelance writing market, as small business owners are increasingly using them to create content instead of hiring writers.
- Payment rates for simple gigs on Upwork have dropped significantly, leading freelancers to take on more work to meet income targets.
The use of AI tools in the freelance writing market has led to a decline in payment rates and increased competition. This situation is negatively impacting freelancers, especially those from Africa and Asia, who are earning lower hourly rates compared to freelancers from North America and Western Europe. However, freelancers can still succeed by offering unique value that AI tools cannot replicate.
