America is producing an extraordinary generation of creative talent at a moment when creativity has never been more valuable. Across industries, creativity is shaping culture, fueling innovation, and driving economic growth.
While interest in creative careers remains strong, the next generation of talent is facing growing uncertainty about how to build careers in today’s rapidly changing environment.
In fact, new research by the Fashion Institute of Technology, conducted with The Harris Poll, found that 80% of Americans say creative careers are undervalued, while 87% say cost prevents talented people from pursuing them. And further, when it comes to technology, 71% believe AI has made it harder to find work in creative industries.
Those concerns are real and understandable. AI is arriving at a moment when creative industries are already evolving quickly, pushing businesses and educators to rethink how creative careers are built, supported, and sustained. While the technology may be new, the solution is familiar: Invest in people, in creative education, and in the uniquely human skills that continue to set great creative work apart.
STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN CREATIVITY AND AI PARTNERSHIP
I am not an AI doomer. Every transformative technology—computers, the internet, smartphones—has generated the same anxiety before seamlessly integrating into our everyday lives. AI may follow a similar path, but today’s concerns around job security, ownership, hallucinations, environmental impacts, and creative control are real. They should be addressed and inform how we build and govern these tools responsibly.
At the same time, AI offers value in speeding up many business processes, such as handling repetitive tasks efficiently, crunching numbers, and administrative tasks that would take hours or even days to do. It also might help designers be better designers, and inspire creatives to push their ideas further.
Let’s be clear: AI does not have an imagination. It cannot replicate the human ability to tell stories that resonate emotionally, interpret cultural moments, or create work that feels genuinely original. In many ways, AI’s rise is sharpening our understanding of just how valuable authentic human creativity is.
That is what a creative education tied to real world workplace experiences is designed to nurture, and its importance is recognized. According to our recent survey, 90% of Americans believe a blend of hands-on education and real-world industry experience is essential for preparing students for modern careers.
THIS MATTERS FAR BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Creative industries added $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2023, representing 4.2% of GDP and growing at twice the rate of the broader economy. Fashion alone employs 1.8 million Americans. These industries do not sit on the sidelines of the economy. They help define it, especially in New York, which has long been one of the world’s great creative capitals because of its extraordinary concentration of talent, ambition, and cultural energy.
What remains constant is creative industries’ underlying strength and the continued demand for the ideas, skills, and talent driving it forward. The opportunity is to ensure that the systems supporting that talent evolve as quickly as the industries they serve.
A NEW BLUEPRINT FOR CREATIVE CAREERS
Most companies say creative matters. Now is the moment to invest in the people who make it possible.
If your business depends on creative skill, and almost every business does, you have a direct stake in how that talent is developed. That means becoming an active partner in developing the next generation of creative talent. That could include embedding leaders into classrooms, funding co-op models, providing scholarships, and commissioning live projects.
Our survey found that 79% of Americans believe that cities investing in colleges dedicated to the creative industry will be more successful economically in the future than those that do not. Cities, therefore, have an opportunity to think bigger about creative education as an economic infrastructure driving growth for all, attracting talent, and building welcoming communities.
Educational institutions have a responsibility too. We must continue evolving alongside the industry, preparing students for rapidly changing creative industries while strengthening the critical thinking, adaptability, and cultural fluency that employers increasingly value. The strongest creative education connects learning directly to the real world, so students graduate not only inspired, but prepared.
ACCESS MATTERS
We need to make sure creative colleges are affordable and flexible so we can deliver the talent pool the creative industries need. It is no secret that many are questioning the value of a college degree when the costs and time required feel out of reach for so many. However, not every creative college is out of range and not every college requires a four-year degree. For example, tuition at the Fashion Institute of Technology is only $3,500 a semester for in-state students, and we have flexible learning options, including one, two, and four-year degrees. More colleges must meet the moment and provide flexibility and value.
Why? Because access changes lives. The students who might not otherwise see a path into creative careers are often the very people with the greatest untapped talent the industry needs. They bring fresh perspectives, cultural insight, and originality that no algorithm can replicate—and that every brand, city, and economy increasingly depends on.
This is a moment of enormous change and enormous possibility. There is no limit to what this next generation can build. I would not be in my position without access to education, and I see every day how many more lives could be transformed with that same opportunity. My commitment is simple: to help open as many of those doors as possible and ensure the next generation of creative talent has the chance not just to participate in the future, but to define it.
Jason Schupbach is president of the Fashion Institute of Technology.
