--- title: "AI Is Already Putting Videogame Illustrators Out of Work in China" description: "AI image generators like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion are reportedly taking away work from China-based videogame artists and illustrators." date: "2023-04-15" modified: "2023-04-15" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-videogame-illustrators-work-china" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "automated jobs" - "the digest" - "videogames" --- # AI Is Already Putting Videogame Illustrators Out of Work in China ![AI image generators like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion are reportedly taking away work from China-based videogame artists and illustrators.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Destabilizing Diffusion AI image generators are already taking work away from China-based videogame artists and illustrators, [*Rest of World* reports](). Illustrator Amber Yu told the publication she used to make anywhere between $430 and $1,000 for the time-intensive labor of drawing videogame posters. But now, after some firms made moves to replace human artists with faster and cheaper AI generators, she's finding herself mostly being recruited for making small fixes and edits to AI-generated drawings. It's a much simpler task that, on average, only brings in about ten percent of her previous rates. Several other game illustrators echoed these claims. "AI is developing at a speed way beyond our imagination," Xu Yingying, an illustrator at an independent game art studio in Chongqing, China, told *Rest of World*. Xu's studio has laid off 15 specialized illustrators this year alone due to AI image generators. "Two people could potentially do the work that used to be done by ten," Xu added. ## Big Gulp It's a harrowing anecdote, and unfortunately for many, one that we can probably expect to see more of. Late last month, Goldman Sachs released an [eyebrow-raising memo]() arguing that AI has the potential to automate 300 *million* jobs. And when it comes to AI-generated images specifically, AI programs like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion are only getting better at creating convincing artwork, forcing illustrators to adapt in ways they aren't exactly thrilled about. "If I'm a top-notch artist, I might be able to boycott \[the companies\]," Yu, the freelance illustrator, told *Rest of World*. "But I have to eat," she added, admitting that she's planning to train an AI with her art. The Chinese videogame market has had a particularly rough couple of years. A [government licensing freeze]() established back in 2021 put thousand of gaming companies out of business, causing an industry-wide job crisis. While some game developers told *Rest of World* that they would refrain from totally substituting human artists' labor with AI, the technology has already allowed them to cut costs following the licensing freeze. But this, of course, comes at its own price. "Our way of making a living is suddenly destroyed," one videogame artist, who opted to stay anonymous, told the publication*.* **READ MORE:** *[AI is already taking video game illustrators' jobs in China]()* \[*Rest of World*\] **More on AI and jobs:**[*Grifters Using ChatGPT to Work Multiple Full-time Jobs at Once*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()