Creativity and AI skNew Open Access Research Examines Creativity and AI Skills in the Post-ChatGPT Labour Marketill demand in the post-ChatGPT labour market: evidence from UK job vacancies
A new open access research article examines how demand for creativity and artificial intelligence (AI) skills has changed across the UK labour market since the arrival of ChatGPT.
Titled “Creativity and AI skill demand in the post-ChatGPT labour market: evidence from UK job vacancies”, the study is authored by Zihan Wang, Aniket Baksy, Hasan Bakhshi and Josh Siepel.
The researchers analysed more than 182 million UK job postings from January 2017 to November 2025, examining the relationship between employer demand for creativity and AI-related skills across different occupational and local labour market areas.
Stronger Connection Between Creativity and AI
The research finds that the relationship between demand for creativity and AI skills became stronger following the release of ChatGPT.
Rather than suggesting that AI skills are replacing the need for creative capabilities, the findings point towards a closer association between the two. The trend was particularly evident in local labour markets with a larger proportion of high-skilled roles and established creative clusters.
Regional Differences Matter
The study also highlights that the impact of generative AI is not uniform across different parts of the UK.
Areas with stronger concentrations of highly skilled employment and creative industries appear to be experiencing different patterns of demand from regions with other occupational structures. The authors therefore argue that policy responses should take local labour market conditions into account.
Implications for Skills and Employment
The findings underline the importance of considering technical and human capabilities together as generative AI becomes more integrated into the labour market. Creativity, alongside AI-related knowledge, may increasingly form part of the skills mix sought by employers.
The authors conclude by calling for place-based interventions that reflect the different skills priorities and challenges facing regions on both the demand and supply sides of the labour market.
The full research article is available through open access, providing employers, policymakers, researchers and professionals with an opportunity to examine the evidence on how generative AI is influencing skills demand.
