The Future of Freelancing and Remote Work

A startup CEO fired 90% of his staff just to replace them with an AI chatbot

Last year I saw a news article about a startup CEO firing 90% of his staff just to replace them with an AI chatbot.

This was quite shocking but then after a few months, I read another article about how AI could replace the CEOs. Funny how the tables have turned.

Some say we are in an “AI bubble” with media hyping it up and companies rushing to compete with each other. But I think AI is here to stay. So we might as well get used to it.

While I don’t agree with replacing an entire staff with AI, there are better ways to put AI to good use. For example, the customer service industry is where AI has been most useful, which not only enhances the abilities of customer service agents but also makes their work easier.

The freelancing industry is another area where AI made a more devastating impact. From late 2023 to early 2024, I saw fewer jobs being posted on freelance marketplaces and more AI-related jobs being popularized across different categories.

However, that also seems to be slowly getting back to normal, as the hype dies down and most businesses realize that they can’t fully replace a human with an AI chatbot. I’m starting to see a rise in more jobs for freelance writers, designers, and artists on job boards once again.

Clients, businesses, and even you as a professional need to understand that AI is a tool designed to help humans. It’s designed to make our jobs easier and make us more productive. Not replace us!

The freelancing industry is slowly recovering from the impact AI had in the beginning. And I’m hopeful for a future where we, as freelancers, can find a way to utilize AI tools to be even more resourceful, efficient, and productive to provide a much more valuable service to our clients.

See you next week!

-Roshan

PS: If you’re interested in learning about freelancing, check out my free start guide. Or grab my book, Freelance Like a Pro.