The freelancers and contractors you hire are probably already using AI. That is not the interesting part.
The useful part is what MBO Partners says happens next: 74% of independent workers now use generative AI in their work, and many say it saves them about nine hours a week. The report also says AI use is spreading across the everyday jobs owners actually pay for, including research, writing, creative content, marketing, and admin work.
That changes the hiring conversation.
For years, small businesses have treated AI like a side question. Does the contractor use it? Does the agency use it? Do we allow it? The answer now matters less than the process behind it. A freelancer who uses AI well can move faster, draft more options, and turn around work with less friction. A freelancer who uses it carelessly can ship confident nonsense at high speed.
So the better screening questions are boring, which is usually a good sign:
- What do you use AI for?
- What never goes into the model?
- How do you verify facts, figures, and sources?
- What gets a human review before it reaches the client?
That is where the value lives. Owners are not buying software. They are buying judgment, speed, and accountability.
MBO's report frames independent workers as a strategic asset for organizations that need experienced on-demand talent. That is accurate, and it is also a warning. If you still vet contractors the same way you did before generative AI showed up, you are probably missing the biggest difference in the market.
The contractor who uses AI with discipline can save you time. The contractor who hides their process can give you a mess.
There is a simple fix. Put one short AI-use section in every contractor brief. Spell out whether AI is allowed, what must stay human, and whether the work can touch private customer data. If the assignment involves customer-facing copy, pricing, payroll, legal, or compliance work, require a human signoff before delivery.
That does not punish good contractors. It protects them. The best independents already know that AI is a force multiplier only when the person behind it can still think clearly.
Owner Takeaway
Stop asking whether your freelancers use AI. Start asking how they use it, where they review it, and what they do when it gets the answer wrong.
The contractor who can show their work is an asset. The contractor who treats AI like a secret is a risk.