Despite the surge in salary, top earners fear loss of creativity in the AI ​​era: Nowkli Report

The real fear about artificial intelligence among the nation's highest-paid experts is not unemployment, but the possibility of erosion of creativity.

A report from white-collar employment platform Naukri.com found that 40% of people released on Wednesday earned £15 a year, with AI potentially reducing job creativity. This concern is the most serious in the creative field, with 54% of animation and VFX experts, 43% of film and music, and 41% of advertising and marketing flagging fears of declining originality.

The report entitled AI:Friend, Foe, or Frenemy is based on a survey of over 60,000 job seekers, along with insights from recruiter data and job lists across Naukri's platform.

However, the broader sentiment is largely positive, with 86% of Indian job seekers view AI as a “friend” rather than a threat, challenging the global narrative of AI-driven employment destruction.

“AI-related roles are growing faster, pay is high and demand is growing across the industry. “While fresh people are worried, AI employment growth for entry-level roles has increased by 34%, senior experts are seeing the biggest pay premium. The gap is clear. Those with AI skills are moving forward faster than traditional technology roles.”

Between April and June 2025, over 35,000 AI/mL jobs were listed on the platform, showing a 38% increase from the previous year, while non-AI technology jobs increased by just 8%. Essentially. The report found that the median salary for AI roles was 53% higher than that of non-AI roles. Freshmen saw salary premiums of up to 56%, while experts with 13-16 years of experience earned 32% more if they had AI expertise.

AI employment is no longer limited to that, but it accounts for 53% of AI jobs. Banks grew 48% in AI employment, but BPO and ITES rose 39% despite concerns remaining about automatic drive displacement in these sectors. The Accounting and KPO segments report that AI employs 49% to 56% jumps, each highlighting how AI demand is spreading across functions.

The report also highlights the growing expectations among job seekers. 36% want free AI courses from their employers, with one in three IT professionals looking for practical project exposures rather than theoretical training. High-end demand is growing across industries such as FMCG, hospitality, retail, education and BPO.