Some of the flaws are easier to correct: AI’s overuse of em dashes, even in places where other punctuation would make more sense, or its clear bias toward words like “embark,” “deep dive” and “delve.” Beyond those quirks, however, Richardson said AI tends to give generic responses that don’t answer questions as thoroughly as a human would, so rewriting an article also requires doing her own research on the topic at hand.

But many clients don’t appreciate the work that goes into revamping a poorly written AI article, she said, noting that companies often offer less pay for these gigs based on the assumption that they’re less demanding. But making AI sound more human can require just as much thinking and creativity as writing the entire article herself, she said.

“I am a bit concerned because people are using AI to cut costs, and one of those costs is my pay,” Richardson said. “But at the same time, they find out that they can’t really do it without humans. They’re not getting the content that they want from AI, so hopefully we’ll stick around a little longer.”

As companies struggle to figure out their approach to AI, recent data provided to NBC News from freelance job platforms Upwork, Freelancer and Fiverr also suggest that demand for various types of creative work surged this year, and that clients are increasingly looking for humans who can work alongside AI technologies without relying on or rejecting them entirely.

Data from Upwork found that although AI is already automating lower-skilled and repetitive tasks, the platform is seeing growing demand for more complex work such as content strategy or creative art direction. And over the past six months, Fiverr said it has seen a 250% boost in demand for niche tasks across web design and book illustration, from “watercolor children story book illustration” to “Shopify website design.”

Similarly, Freelancer saw a surge in demand this year for humans in writing, branding, design and video production, including requests for emotionally engaging content like “heartfelt speeches.”

“I mean, the fastest way to get dumped is to send a love letter to your girlfriend or boyfriend and use ChatGPT to write it,” Matt Barrie, CEO of Freelancer, said of the phenomenon. “And it’s the same thing for brands. The market knows when something has been fully produced by AI, and there’s an immediate visceral reaction to it.”