Influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Employment in the Creative Industry in Nigeria
Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Creative Industry, Economic Development, Employment, Media CollaborationAbstract
The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has introduced profound transformations across several sectors of the global economy, including the creative industry. In recent years, the integration of intelligent technologies into creative processes such as content production, graphic design, music composition, film production, advertising, and digital media has generated considerable debate regarding the implications of AI for employment and economic development. Within the Nigerian context, where the creative industry has increa singly become a significant contributor to national development, the adoption of AI presents both opportunities and challenges for employment generation and industrial growth. This study examined the influence of Artificial Intelligence on employment within the creative industry in Nigeria, with particular focus on the potential of AI to expand employment opportunities, the collaborative roles of the media in promoting the creative sector, and the broader contributions of the industry to Nigeria’s economic development. The study adopted a quantitative research approach to assess perceptions and experiences associated with the integration of AI technologies within the Nigerian creative industry. Findings revealed that AI possesses significant potential to expand employment opportunities through emerging digital roles in AI-assisted design, content development, digital marketing, animation, and multimedia production. The study further established that the media play important collaborative roles in promoting the creative industry through publicity, agenda setting, cultural promotion, and content dissemination to wider audiences. However, concerns regarding skill displacement, technological inequality, and workforce preparedness remain significant challenges. The study recommended increased investment in digital education, technological infrastructure, and supportive government policies to enhance workforce readiness.
References
Adeyemi, O. (2018). Nollywood and the Nigerian creative economy: An assessment of the film industry’s contribution to national development. Journal of African Media Studies, 10(2), 203–215.
Babbie, E. (2013). The practice of social research (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The second machine age: Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
Croteau, D., & Hoynes, W. (2014). Media/society: Industries, images, and audiences (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Cunningham, S., & Craig, D. (2019). Social media entertainment: The new intersection of Hollywood and Silicon Valley. New York, NY: New York University Press.
Cunningham, S., & Craig, D. (2019). Social media entertainment: The new intersection of Hollywood and Silicon Valley. New York, NY: New York University Press.
Davenport, T. H., & Kirby, J. (2016). Only humans need apply: Winners and losers in the age of smart machines. New York, NY: Harper Business.
Diakopoulos, N. (2019). Automating the news: How algorithms are rewriting the media. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Florida, R. (2014). The rise of the creative class—Revisited. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Frey, C. B., & Osborne, M. A. (2017). The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation? Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 114, 254–280.
Howkins, J. (2001). The creative economy: How people make money from ideas. London, United Kingdom: Penguin Books.
Krejcie, R. V. & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and psychological measurement, 30(3), 607-610.
Lobato, R. (2012). Shadow economies of cinema: Mapping informal film distribution. London, United Kingdom: British Film Institute.
McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail’s mass communication theory (6th ed.). London, United Kingdom: Sage Publications.
Ojebuyi, B. R., & Salawu, A. (2016). Media support for cultural industries in Nigeria: Implications for national development. Journal of African Media Studies, 8(1), 87–102.
UNCTAD. (2018). Creative economy outlook: Trends in international trade in creative industries. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
UNESCO. (2013). Creative economy report 2013: Widening local development pathways. Paris, France: UNESCO Publishing.
Wimmer, R. D., & Dominick, J. R. (2014). Mass media research: An introduction (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Jammy Seigha GUANAH, Samuel Ebimobowei TANGI
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY-NC-SA) license.
You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms: Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
