High earners face more AI pressure and heavier output demands

Among U.S. content creators and music artists earning six figures, 64% reported “large” or “very large” pressure to use AI—more than triple the 19% among the lowest earners, in new survey findings shared exclusively with Business Insider. Sapio Research surveyed 2,000 professional creators and artists in the United States from March through April.

The survey, commissioned by Sweden-based music and sound platform Epidemic Sound, found that reported pressure rose steadily with income. That is a correlation, not proof that higher earnings cause AI use. The published findings do not include question wording, earnings-group sample sizes or a margin of error.

They also offer no reach, engagement, conversion or production-cost data, so any claim that AI guarantees growth or savings remains unproven. For practitioners, these are directional signals about pressure and adoption, not a business case.

AI use also rose with earnings. The survey measured use of fully AI-generated music or content, not every form of AI-assisted work:

• 44% of creators earning $50,000 to $100,000 used fully AI-generated music or content.
• 45% of those earning over $100,000 did so.
• 23% of those making under $5,000 reported the same.

The gap shows established creators are already incorporating AI into finished output. It does not show that audiences prefer it, that the work performs better or that creators need a larger budget.

Epidemic Sound’s global head of creator partnerships and strategy, Gracie Schram, said higher earners face bigger output and distribution expectations. She said platform invitations increase the pressure to make more material.

“They’re distributing multiple videos every day, on YouTube, Snapchat, Spotify,” she said. “It comes with this distribution predicament. With these big creators, it’s a huge amount of pressure to stay relevant.”

Schram said higher earners tend to be early adopters in general and have access to more tools. That fits the pattern, but the survey does not establish whether income drives adoption or whether early adoption improves earnings.

AI can save time and enhance creativity, but creators depend on audience trust, and the U.S. public remains uneasy about the technology. Some creators also fear reputational damage if platforms label their work as AI-generated.

Victoria Bachan, CEO of talent management agency Hyphen, said the highest backlash risk comes from using AI to flood output or in ways followers see as inauthentic. Her test is the creator’s “social contract” with the audience: “You aren’t going to have AI make a recipe,” she said, though AI partnerships can fit aligned subjects such as technology and finance education.

What does this change for creators?

It changes production planning more than audience strategy. Higher earners already report heavier AI use, while Schram says the creators she works with often use AI for editing, A/B concept testing and internal storyboards that never enter the final product.

Stockholm-based music artist Henrik Olsson, who creates for Epidemic Sound, uses AI for scripting and editing social media content to support a comfortable living. His experience is one creator’s account, not a representative result. He nevertheless expects AI to push artists toward more creativity rather than replace their art, and says they must stay one step ahead.

Across the full sample, 77% said human-made content was becoming a premium offering for audiences. Another 78% said clear AI disclosure was essential to maintaining trust, while Schram said audiences still want human creativity at the center.

For audience and brand teams, the data makes disclosure and human judgment practical safeguards, not optional ethics. The survey offers no evidence that disclosure preserves reach or that AI reduces spend. Brands may use AI behind the scenes, but they cannot promise cheaper campaigns or broader audiences without testing their own audience response.

Looking ahead, the results point to a two-speed creator market: higher earners have more incentive and capacity to use AI, while audiences reward visible human judgment. Whether that produces more efficient output or more synthetic clutter will depend on disclosure, audience tolerance and whether platforms label AI-assisted work.