# In response to Will I Am complaining about AI's threat to human creativity

Source: https://rickyrichards.com/blog/Will_I_Am_Complaining_About_AI
Author: Ricky Richards
Published: 2026-08-15
Category: Essay

> Why your paycheck reflects the value you create, not the hours you logged. A lesson from architecture and music.

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Very ironic coming from a guy who made his money making his voice sound like a robot.

I was told this a long time ago: **it’s not about the time you spend; it’s about the value you create.**

If I walk onto a building site, spend five minutes looking at the schematics, and spot a flaw that saves the developer $10 million, is that advice only worth five minutes of my time? Or would you happily pay $100,000 for those five minutes because of the value of what I’ve identified?

The music industry is perhaps the clearest example of this. An artist can spend months—or even years—creating a track, then make millions from a hit for years afterward. They aren’t being paid for the number of hours they spent in the studio ten years later. They’re being paid for the value they created in that moment, and the value that creation continues to generate.

**You’re not paid for your time. You’re paid for the value of your contribution.**