The creative services market in Russia is changing under the influence of digital platforms, freelancing and artificial intelligence. Companies are increasingly looking not for an individual contractor, but for a team of specialists capable of handling an entire project – from the advertising concept to the video and its distribution.
The trends were discussed at the “Creative Code” conference, held from October 28 to 30 as part of the Days of the Creative Economy. Among the participants was Gennady Lyubarsky, head of sales in the business segment of “Avito Services”.
Freelancers Are Joining Forces for Larger Projects
For an advertising campaign, for example, a designer, copywriter, marketer and videographer are now often needed. Instead of hiring all of them on permanent contracts, a business can bring together independent professionals for a specific task.
According to data cited by “Gazeta.Ru”, working with freelancers can reduce hiring costs by 30–50 percent. Finding an external expert takes between one and three days on average, while traditional channels can require several weeks. Almost 40 percent of orders in the design and development categories on “Avito Services” come from companies.
“The main advantage of freelancing for us is flexibility – for different tasks, we can find the right specialists according to the specifics of the events,” says Alisa Gudoshnikova, founder of SOLAR event agency.Digital platforms also facilitate cooperation between different cities. A Moscow-based company can hire a designer from Yekaterinburg, while an entrepreneur from a smaller city can hire a marketer with experience in the federal market. This creates temporary teams that distribute responsibilities according to the specific project.
Demand for AI Services Is Growing
Artificial intelligence is already being used to create text and images, process video, analyze data and automate repetitive tasks. According to data cited in the article, the Russian AI market grew by 29.7 percent in 2025 and reached 316 billion rubles.
Over the past year, demand for services using neural networks on “Avito Services” has increased 2.5-fold, with around a quarter of orders coming from businesses.
“We use AI to analyze large volumes of data, create content, and process inquiries and correspondence with clients,” says Stanislav Solokhin, founder of the Creatmedia marketing agency.According to him, the technologies accelerate task completion and reduce the labor resources required. However, the solutions do not replace professional judgment when choosing a concept, understanding the audience and overseeing quality.
Responsibility Remains with the Specialist
Maksim Kachkovenko, head of a graphic design studio and a lecturer at the British Higher School of Art and Design, warns that neural networks should not be given access to confidential data.
“Regardless of how much work the neural network has carried out, we always check the information and assess the result before putting our name to everything,” says Kachkovenko.“Avito Services” already offers a separate “AI solutions, neural networks” category and a filter for working with such tools. Specialists who list this skill in their advertisements receive 20 percent more attention for their offers.
The expectation is that companies will move toward comprehensive solutions that combine different professional skills and technologies. For specialists, this means not only knowing how to use artificial intelligence tools, but also being able to work in teams, build partnerships and take responsibility for the final result.