Fiverr’s New Initiative

The gig marketplace Fiverr has announced a new initiative that allows freelancers to train AI on their previous work and use it to automate future jobs, thereby enabling them to scale their work and receive proper credit and compensation.

Introduction to the Personal AI Creation Model

At a recent event, Fiverr introduced several new efforts aimed at attracting gig workers to its platform and equipping them with generative AI tools. One of the most ambitious initiatives is a program that enables freelancers doing voice-over, graphic design, and related work to train AI on their content and charge customers for access.

Ensuring Gig Workers Receive Proper Credit and Compensation

Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman emphasized that the move is designed to ensure gig workers receive proper credit and compensation while providing them with unprecedented tools to scale their work. Kaufman stated, “This is about making our freelancers irreplaceable, not obsolete. We built these new features to ensure creators remain at the center of the creative economy.”

The Impact of Generative AI on the Gig Market

The gig market has been significantly affected by the advent of cheap and widely available generative AI technology. A recent report found that AI tools like image generators and OpenAI’s ChatGPT have led to increased competition for fewer roles, with writers, programmers, and app developers being the most negatively impacted.

The Trend of Replacing Freelancers

An independent study examined gig marketplace movements over a nine-month period and concluded that the trend of replacing freelancers with AI only accelerated over time. This trend may lead to a permanent loss of jobs for freelancers in certain sectors.

The Personal AI Creation Model

Fiverr’s solution to address this issue is the “Personal AI Creation Model,” which allows contractors to configure an AI model trained on their previous work and set prices for its use. Freelancers will retain ownership over work generated by their model, including content like song lyrics, illustrations, marketing copy, and digital advertising designs.

Benefits and Limitations of the Personal AI Creation Model

Buyers will have full flexibility to choose between a freelancer’s AI-generated work, human-created work, or a seamless blend of both. However, gig workers may not feel they have a choice, as opting not to participate could place them at a competitive disadvantage in a sector that is already punishing.

Data Ownership and Protection

Fiverr emphasized that it won’t use gig worker data to train in-house models and that the Personal AI Creation Model can be disabled at any time. The company also stated that creative work and the AI models freelancers train belong to them, and Fiverr may collect aggregated, anonymized usage data solely to improve platform performance and user experience.

Additional Features and Services

Contractors on Fiverr who use the Personal AI Creation Model will also get access to Fiverr’s “Personal AI Assistant” ($29 per month or included with Fiverr’s Seller Plus Premium plan), which is a customizable customer service chatbot fine-tuned on contractors’ chats with clients.

Personal AI Assistant Configuration and Control

The Personal AI Assistant analyzes each freelancer’s profile, gigs, and past client communications. Freelancers can review and adjust their Personal Assistant’s responses during the set-up process and further configure its behavior by defining specific topics that trigger a hand-off to the freelancer.

New Program for Top-Performing Contractors

Complementing its AI product launches, Fiverr unveiled a program that will give top-performing contractors on Fiverr shares in Fiverr the company, which is publicly traded. The program is set to go live on Thursday, although the company did not provide details on how awardees will be determined or how many shares they can expect to receive.

Conclusion

Fiverr’s market cap was around $1.16 billion as of last Friday, and its share performance has been up and down in the past year. The company’s fortunes recently took a turn for the better, and the new initiatives aim to further support freelancers and the creative economy.