Status: Already impactedWorkforce exposure: At risk

Stock Photography & Illustration AI Impact

Text-to-image models generate custom visuals on demand, undercutting libraries of licensed stock imagery.

Workforce exposure

58/100

Occupations matched

Employment covered

321,230

Most disrupted work

Generic stock photos and illustrations
Spot art, icons and backgrounds
Concept and mood imagery
Simple product and catalog shots

More defensible work

Real photojournalism and licensed events
Brand and editorial art direction
Authentic, rights-cleared people/places

Timeline

Already underway — generative image tools went mainstream in 2022–2023.

Companies to watch

Getty Imagesdisrupted

Sued generative-AI firms over training data while launching its own licensed model.

Shutterstockadapting

Pivoted to licensing its library to AI firms as core stock demand softened.

Adobebenefiting

Firefly generates commercial-safe images inside Creative Cloud.

Related occupations

Graphic Designer
$58,000 median pay
At risk61
Photographers
$42,520 median pay
Watch45
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators
$60,560 median pay
Watch40

Related AI stocks

ADBE · Adobe

AI industry card

Stock Photography & Illustration

Stock Photography & Illustration is at risk for workforce AI exposure. Text-to-image models generate custom visuals on demand, undercutting libraries of licensed stock imagery.

58/100

AIFear.com