While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has affected various types of professional work, management studies thus far focused on its computational and analytical abilities and the impact on profession work processes based on the use of AI in professional work. How, however, does AI reshape the way creative work and value is understood? We take professional illustration as a strategic case of a creative industry that is deeply upended by the recent advances of generative AI – especially its ability to create new art – to analyze the impact of generative AI among workers who specialize in marketing their products based on their artistic value. Based on 73 interviews with illustrators and art directors, we found that the valuation processes for art production – for both producers and consumers – affected the way generative AI impacts the work practices, the accepted use, the professional identity of the artists. After empirically discussing the illustrators’ claim that they are immune to decreased professional value and autonomy, we further theorize how generative AI may reshape work processes and value in creative industries.
