Hollywood Creatives Train AI for $12-$200 an Hour as Industry Jobs Fall 28%

2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 22

$12 to $200 an hour is drawing writers, directors and producers into gig work training AI systems to write scripts, build pitch decks, transcribe footage and plan shoots.
A 28% drop in U.S. motion picture and sound-recording jobs—from 450,000 in July 2022 to 326,000 in May 2026—has pushed many to seek the work as commissions and productions dry up.
Los Angeles has been hit especially hard: FilmLA says shoot days fell 48% between 2021 and 2025, while one producer estimated production is down about 35%, leaving freelancers to teach tools that may replace them.
The work is expanding through agencies such as Mercor, Micro1 and Handshake, which contract with major AI companies including Anthropic and OpenAI; Netflix also said this month it used AI in 300 of its 1,000 titles in 2026.
Many creatives say the models still lack human nuance even as they improve, capturing the industry's bind: AI offers short-term income during a slump while accelerating pressure on future jobs.