Artificial intelligence may be transforming the creative economy, but many creators are not benefiting from the technology built on their work.
In a new video posted on the video app Patreon, Jack Conte, co-founder and chief executive of Patreon, warned that creatives risk being left out of the economic value generated by AI systems trained on creative content.
“My overall take on AI right now is that I’m both amazed and furious,” Conte said in the video. “I’m amazed at the technology… But as a creator, I’m angry that we aren’t being paid for the value that we created for these models.”
Generative AI systems are typically trained on massive datasets that include text, images, music, and other forms of creative work gathered from across the internet. Those datasets help the models learn styles, patterns, and creative techniques.
Conte argues that while AI companies are building powerful tools using this data, the creators whose work helped train the systems often have little say in how it is used.
“Creators deserve consent, credit and compensation,” he said.
According to Conte, consent means artists should have the ability to opt out of having their work used as training data. Credit would ensure creators are acknowledged when their style or creative identity influences generated content. Compensation would mean they are paid when their work contributes value to AI-driven products.
“Unfortunately, the answer to all three of these questions right now is a big fat ‘No,’” Conte said.
Some large publishers and media companies have begun negotiating licensing deals with AI developers. But independent creators – who make up the vast majority of the internet’s creative output – often lack the resources or bargaining power to negotiate similar agreements.
That imbalance is one reason Patreon was created. Conte launched the platform in 2013 after he said he struggled to make a sustainable living as a YouTube creator and musician.
Today, the platform hosts hundreds of thousands of creators and more than 10 million paying fans who support artists through monthly subscriptions.
Conte emphasized that Patreon is not opposed to AI technology. The company allows creators to use AI tools in their workflows and uses AI internally to improve parts of its own platform.
However, he argues that the structure of the AI economy needs to evolve to ensure creators remain part of the value chain.
“What matters is ensuring that there’s a societal incentive around novelty creation so that humanity can continue to progress forward,” he said.
Despite the rapid advances in generative AI, Conte believes human creativity will remain central to culture.
“Humans will make and consume art made by other humans for a long, long time,” he said.
Instead of replacing artists entirely, he expects AI to change how creative work is produced over the next decade.
“The craft and the day-to-day of what it means to be an artist is going to change a lot over the next 10 years,” Conte said. “But the big questions will remain: Do you have something to say as an artist? And are you connecting with people through your work?”
David Adubiina
