Trent Thomas: The Creative Industry Is Engineering Its Own Extinction
As artificial intelligence transforms creativity, the industry faces an existential crisis. Trent Thomas warns that it’s happening faster than we think.
By
Aug 14, 2025
In the world of design, marketing buzzwords have always been a staple, but none are as pervasive as "democratizing creativity." We hear it in conference keynotes, see it in the latest product announcements, and read it in the slick marketing materials of design platforms like Adobe and Canva. On the surface, it sounds inspiring, even revolutionary — empowering individuals, leveling the playing field, and opening doors to a world of endless creative possibilities. Yet, behind the catchy slogan lies a deeper, far more unsettling reality that threatens to unravel the very fabric of the creative industry.
Artificial intelligence, the catalyst for much of this change, is reshaping creative work in unprecedented ways. The tools are more efficient than ever before, with the latest AI-powered platforms making creative tasks exponentially faster — cutting production timelines from weeks to hours. But the efficiency that boosts productivity is also having a dangerous consequence: it is reducing the need for human workers. The results are no longer speculative. According to the World Economic Forum's 2025 Future of Jobs Report, graphic design is listed as one of the fastest-declining occupations worldwide, based directly on employer forecasts. This decline isn't just a potential future problem; it’s happening now.
The Rapid Decline of the Creative Workforce
The evidence is already showing up in real-world statistics. A survey conducted by the Society of Authors in the UK revealed startling numbers: 26% of illustrators and 36% of translators have lost work to AI. For those still holding on to their craft, the impact is no less severe. Approximately 37% of illustrators and 43% of translators reported significant declines in their income due to automation and AI-generated work. These are not future predictions, but present-day realities, creating a ripple effect that is spreading across the creative industries.
The paradox becomes clear: the very companies building AI-powered creative tools rely on a paying customer base made up of those same creative professionals. Their business models are dependent on subscription revenue from designers, illustrators, and other creatives who pay to use their platforms. But as AI tools become capable of producing the work of entire teams, the need for such a large customer base diminishes. In the not-so-distant future, we may be left with a situation where a single designer can produce as much output as ten, and the number of paying customers dwindles.
The Flawed Pivot to Enterprise Services
In response, many platforms are shifting their focus toward enterprise service contracts to maintain their revenue streams. However, this pivot comes with its own set of challenges. Service contracts often come with lower margins — 15-40% — compared to the 70-75% gross margins that software typically enjoys. Historical lessons provide a cautionary tale. When IBM shifted from hardware to services, it saw its valuation multiple collapse from 15x to 2x. This drastic decline in value is a cautionary example for any company that leans too heavily on the uncertain terrain of enterprise services. It remains to be seen whether these platforms will successfully navigate the shift.
Agencies Fueling Their Own Obsolescence
Perhaps the most ironic twist in this tale is that creative agencies themselves are contributing to their own demise. By embracing AI tools wholesale, agencies are feeding these platforms the very high-quality client work that the systems need to improve. Every campaign, design system, and brand refresh is an opportunity for these AI tools to learn, grow, and become even more effective at doing the job of human designers. It’s a feedback loop that tightens with every project delivered, enriching the AI systems that will eventually replace the human workforce.
The situation is even more paradoxical when you consider that agencies, like many creative professionals, are dependent on these same tools to stay competitive. What once felt like a creative boon — increased efficiency and cost reduction — now seems more like a race to the bottom, where creative professionals are fighting to stay relevant in an industry where automation is king.
The Future of Branding: Predictability Over Personality
What does this all mean for the future of branding? The creative output of brands has always been a crucial element in helping them stand out in a crowded marketplace. But as AI platforms take over creative tasks, the risk arises that brands will lose their ability to differentiate themselves. AI-driven platforms are designed to generate content that is optimized for conversion, using algorithms that prioritize market trends, data points, and customer behavior.
As more and more creative work is generated by a small group of AI platforms, the risk is that brands will begin to blend into the same algorithmically-generated middle ground — competent, safe, and entirely predictable. Think of the art you find in a hotel room: nice to look at, but forgettable. Without the distinct personality and human touch that comes with bespoke creative work, brands run the risk of losing what makes them memorable in the first place.
The Shrinking Creative Workforce
By the end of the decade, experts predict that a few dominant mega-platforms will control the majority of creative output. Agencies, once central to the creative process, will be relegated to narrow implementation roles, with limited creative input. The number of professional creatives — designers, illustrators, and other artists — is expected to be slashed by half or more. These changes aren’t hypothetical or distant. They’re already underway, and the trajectory is clear. This isn’t an abstract threat; it’s an industry that is actively coding its own exit strategy.
For creatives, the stakes couldn’t be higher. As AI continues to eat away at jobs once considered secure, the question becomes: will the creative industry adapt in a way that preserves the human element of art and design, or will it surrender to the efficiency of machines? Only time will tell, but one thing is clear — the status quo is no longer sustainable.
If you're a creative professional or business owner, now is the time to reimagine the role of human creativity in your work. Explore how you can integrate AI while preserving the unique value of human insight. Start a conversation, push the boundaries, and ensure your creative vision remains at the heart of your brand's success. Learn more today and discover how to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.
Learn more today and discover how to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.
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