The ol’ standby: Companies hire freelancers to fix broken AI output they can’t use

Companies that initially replaced human workers with AI are now hiring freelancers to fix the subpar output generated by artificial intelligence systems. This emerging “slop fixer-upper” market spans creative fields, writing, and software development, revealing significant gaps in AI capabilities that require human intervention to address.

What you should know: Freelancers across multiple industries are finding steady work correcting AI-generated content that companies can’t use as-is.

• Lisa Carstens, a Spain-based illustrator, now spends much of her time fixing AI-generated logos with fuzzy lines and garbled text, sometimes requiring complete redraws that take longer than creating original designs.
• Freelance writer Kiesha Richardson reports that half her current gigs involve rewriting AI-generated copy that doesn’t “look remotely human at all.”
• India-based developer Harsh Kumar fixes broken AI-coded projects, including chatbots that leak system details and recommendation functions that expose sensitive data.

The economics problem: Companies pay less for AI cleanup work despite it often requiring as much effort as original creation.

• Richardson noted that clients assume fixing AI content is “easier and less time-consuming,” when it frequently demands the same mental labor as writing from scratch.
• The pay disparity reflects the same cost-cutting mindset that drove companies to replace full-time employees with AI in the first place.

What they’re saying: Workers express mixed feelings about this emerging market, balancing financial necessity with professional concerns.

• “I have some colleagues who are adamant about not working with AI,” Richardson told NBC. “But I’m like, ‘I need money. I’m taking [the gig].'”
• “There’s people that are aware AI isn’t perfect, and then there’s people that come to you angry because they didn’t manage to get it done themselves with AI,” Carstens explained. “And you kind of have to be empathetic. You don’t want them to feel like idiots.”

Why this matters: The trend suggests companies are discovering AI’s limitations after rushing to implement it, potentially stabilizing demand for human expertise.

• “They find out that they can’t really do it without humans,” Richardson observed. “They’re not getting the content that they want from AI, so hopefully we’ll stick around a little longer.”
• Kumar remains optimistic about long-term human relevance: “I’m still confident that humans will be required for long-term projects. At the end of the day, humans were the ones who developed AI.”

Common AI problems: Freelancers consistently encounter specific issues that require human correction.

• Writing: Overuse of em-dashes, repetitive phrases like “delve” and “deep dive,” and inadequate detail requiring additional research.
• Design: Fuzzy lines, garbled text, and structural problems in logos and visual content.
• Code: Security vulnerabilities, functionality failures, and data exposure risks in applications.