Hollywood Workers Turn to AI Training as Arts Job Postings Jump to 11%
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 25
Hollywood Workers Turn to AI Training as Arts Job Postings Jump to 11%
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 25
Summary
Nearly 11% of arts job postings were AI-related by April 2026, up from nearly 5% a year earlier, as Hollywood workers squeezed by a weak film and TV market take RLHF gigs to cover rent and basic expenses.
Mercor, a $10 billion AI recruiting platform, has become one route into that work, matching writers, editors and former executives with projects that can pay from about $44 an hour to more than $100 for specialized expertise.
Those jobs carry stigma and risk: some creatives liken them to helping replace their own industry, while voice actors say 20% of surveyed members have already knowingly lost work to AI tools.
The field is also precarious, with reports of unstable employment, secrecy around clients and lawsuits against major RLHF firms over unpaid wages, worker misclassification and exposure to traumatizing content.
Hollywood unions have offered little public guidance, reflecting a catch-22 as members need income now even while AI training could accelerate longer-term job displacement.
AI in Hollywood: Union Responses, Job Disruption, and the Global Threat to 300 Million Workers
Overview
Hollywood's creative industry is rapidly changing as AI reshapes traditional job prospects, forcing many workers to adapt to new realities. Struggling creatives now take on AI training gigs just to make rent, even as they face ethical dilemmas about helping develop technology that threatens their own livelihoods. This immediate economic pressure highlights a profound shift, but Hollywood's strong union presence plays a key role in shaping the industry's response. Unions use their collective bargaining power to negotiate protections and guide how AI is integrated, helping workers navigate the challenges and uncertainties brought by this technological transformation.