[Sticky] How can freelancers keep getting jobs despite AI?

Hi @fuad, you are correct. AI indeed has rendered many people jobless. I happen to work in a company where AI has replaced most of the staff - but of course, the quality of the work has drastically reduced. But the problem is: The CEOs don't really care. They are very happy with the trade-off as long as the quality of the tasks AI does seems manageable to them. 

So, what is the way out for an aspiring freelancer who doesn't know where to start?

First of all, everyone needs to understand that despite the obvious problem of AI, the impact isn't as crazy as the media and influencers are making it out to be.

For example, if you go to freelance platforms today - Upwork, for example, there are hundreds, if not thousands of high-quality roles being posted daily, and there are hundreds of freelancers getting hired every single day.

Despite all the AI noise, people are getting hired daily, and people keep on winning great jobs and great clients. 

Second, the AI hype is getting lesser, and serious clients and businesses are slowly but surely starting to understand the negative impacts that over-reliance on AI is costing their businesses. 

Many businesses that outsourced their jobs to AI are already hiring humans again. I, for example, once used AI for a project, only for me to discard it after months of wasted effort and money and resort to hiring humans 🤣. AI simply sucks at properly replacing humans, and any serious entrepreneur knows this. AI is one of the greatest assistants ever built by man, but definitely NOT a replacement for actual human experts.

Third, there are plenty of niches that AI simply can't dare to replace humans anytime soon. Let me give you an example. I once worked for a company that builds AI tools for agencies. The CEO asked me to build a product plan for an AI tool that can run entire Meta ads campaigns for humans. It was quite funny as it looks as if the CEO was telling to build a tool that will replace me - since I am a Meta ads specialist. 

Anyways, I built the product plan and made it very comprehensive. Till today, I haven't heard a single feedback about it. Why? It was quite clear that trying to build a real working tool that can properly replace experts like mine will take a significant amount of capital - and I am pretty sure it will still be trash, just like plenty of such tools available.

Even Meta's own inbuilt AI, which has been trained on Meta's own incredible amount of data can't dare to compete against a true Meta ads expert. 

And mine is just the start - there are countless niches like that, in which no matter how hard you try to build a working AI tool for it, any serious person wouldn't dare to allow their business to be run by the AI tool.

You know the funny thing though, plenty of these tools meant to replace specialists across various niches can actually be very helpful - but they are only helpful if a specialist uses them as part of his/her workflow and software assistants - not for them to actually replace those specialists, which is just nonsensical fantasy from CEOs, AI executives, and AI influencers. 

Now, that you know these, how can you survive as either a beginner OR an experienced freelancer who has unfortunately found themselves out of jobs due to AI.

1. If you are a beginner, try to avoid niches that are most impacted by AI (for now, as AI could  soon impact most niches), and focus on niches where either AI hasn't impacted too much or you can actually take advantage of the AI boom. Once such excellent niche you can dabble in today and take advantage of the AI hype is AI Automation and Systems Implementation. 

Although the ultimate jobs to be in today are those in which you are very close to being irreplaceable. Once you work in a role where clients can't afford to sack you unless their business is going bankrupt, you have hit the goldmine. Your task now is to find those niches. Although there is almost no niche where this can't be the case, depending on your expertise and your specific job for a client, including how great and crucial your work is to that client's business, continuous operation - it is easier in some niches than others though. Some clients would absolutely sweat before deciding to sack you. Find yourself such a job, and you have found yourself a golden job. 

2. If you are an experienced freelancer, and you still want to keep working in your current niche, level up and rise above your previous skillset. Learn more skills that surround your expertise that clients are actually looking for. You can find these out by going through jobs that clients are posting in your niche on Upwork. But if you are tired of your current niche, then pivot into other niches and follow the first advice above. 

3. Validate your niche by actually going through Upwork job posts. When you study what clients are actively searching for on Upwork, you will know if the niche and skillset you are learning or have learnt is truly in-demand. You will also learn the surrounding skills that can improve your chances if getting hired - especially those AI and automation-related extra skills. 

4. There is almost no niche in which clients are not hiring people in today's job market. I said earlier that AI is one of the greatest assistants ever built by man, but even the virtual assistance niche keeps growing on Upwork. Clients keep looking for actual human virtual assistants, and virtual assistants keep smiling to the bank. So why exactly do you think your niche is dead because of AI.

Even content writers that know their onions keep getting new jobs - just like many many other niches. Content writing, copy writing, graphics design, web development, etc are supposed to be from the most disrupted niches due to AI, but if you think experts in these niches who actually know how to properly sell themselves are struggling to land clients, then you surely don't know what's going on.

5. Back in the days, you could be mediocre and still escape because the barrier is lower and clients are more ignorant of what quality job deliveries look like. Nowadays, even basic job posts are looking like a professor is crafting them! Clients are much more knowledgeable about what to expect now, so the expectations are much higher. Those days, you could pass a simple previous job as a good case study; now, clients are sifting through portfolios and case studies like they are professors in that niche. Many of them are probably even using AI to help decide who to hire. 

What that means is that to get good jobs these days, you really need to step up your game. Many people today blame AI for taking their jobs, but were you really that important to the client before? How crucial were your roles before? How good were you before? Maybe you were just hanging on before, and you simply got exposed! 

But even if this is the case, the truth is that it is a wake-up call. A wake-up call to be better in whatever you have been doing before. Instead of giving up on your dreams of earning big, why not channel that frustration into becoming better? This is especially true for more experienced freelancers who have stopped getting jobs.

6. Step up your sales game. No matter how good and skilled you are, if you can't sell yourself to a client, you likely won't get good jobs. Selling yourself involves many things! Your proposals, cover letters, case studies, portfolios, certifications, resumes, etc must all be well-crafted and excellently prepared to increase your chances of getting hired.  

The truth is, your skills must be better, but you also need to be able to prove beyond doubt that you can help them achieve what they need from you. Freelancers who are doing that are getting all the jobs. Proving and letting them see why they should hire you is a skill that most freelancers seem to have forgotten how crucial it is.

7. Stop blaming AI and get better at everything you can. Many people - new and experienced - blame AI for not getting jobs. Instead of looking inwards at their own skills, case studies, resumes, cover letters, sales games, etc., they simply resort to blaming AI. 

This won't help them at all. When you are terrified of not getting jobs, use that anger and fear to channel yourself to succeed. There is a saying here in Nigeria - "Na who give up fuck up." 

Keep driving hard; keep improving; keep learning; keep praying and you likely will get jobs sooner. 

8. Invest in yourself, as you will invest in an actual business. If you want to freelance on Upwork, look for money and buy like 1,000 - 2,000 connects (roughly 150 - 300 USD + tax). Crazy right! Yes, it is. But a single good role can pay back that in multiple folds. Of course, if you can't find that kind of money, buy at least 300 connects for a start.

Also, when you are spending money, make sure to try your best not to waste your money. Don't say because you have 1000 Connects and you start applying anyhow. No. Apply like a pro and only apply to relevant high-quality jobs (small and larger budget jobs). The plenty Connects should only mean that you can now apply to many more good jobs.

Upwork Freelancer Plus subscription is also a very good thing you can spend your money on. Other freelance platforms also have some paid perks that you can take advantage. Spend money to make money. It is that simple in today's world. Spend sensibly though, and don't waste it. When you spend on something, ensure you squeeze out the maximum value in that thing.

Buy good courses, and invest in your skills and knowledge - note: avoid all these fake gurus and get-rich-quick merchants. Especially the affiliate marketing cliques and gangs in Nigeria. That's not what I mean by good courses. Go to online platforms where you can find cheap or premium courses taught by real experts. Master your skill and work hard to master what you are learning. I have an article on such platforms here: https://thenigerianfreelancer.com/platforms-freelance-digital-skills/  

If you see someone actually winning on a platform, who is not promising you dreams, and who you are able to verify that they are truly winning, you can also buy their courses - as long as it has a very useful content that you can take significant valuefrom.

9. If you are a Nigerian, you are probably religious. You can do everything right and still fail. That's where prayer is very crucial. Pray hard and only work permissible (Halaal) jobs. This is the No 1 for me. 

10. Try getting smaller jobs before going for the large ones. You can also be looking for both simultaneously. This is especially true for new freelancers and experienced ones who have stopped getting jobs. Once you are financially stable, you are getting good reviews and testimonials, and building excellent case studies, you can always go for the bigger jobs later. 

11. Be disciplined and keep pushing. Many - new and experienced digital professionals - lack the discipline and grit needed to succeed. No be everything be AI o. Most want to make big money, but are not ready to put in the work and discipline needed to actually succeed. At the end of the day, they can't understand why they are not succeeding. Lols. No be my mouth. You go work very harrrddd. You want to be making the kind of money your parents most likely never made in their lives, and you are not ready to put in incredible levels of grit and discipline. Just dey play o. 

I have said quite a lot already, and I really can't say it all. But at least, I believe you get the gist! Anyone reading this should have learnt a thing or two. I wish you and everyone the best in their digital careers. If you want in-depth answers like this, you can ask as many as you want on this forum. I am here to answer your questions.