Flipboard Friday: AI and Creativity¶
Source: https://www.wte.net/Blog/April-2023/Flipboard-Friday-AI-and-Creativity
Date: April 2023
Author: Martin W Smith
Opening¶
The article reflects on how generative AI might disrupt creative work, drawing from Harvard Business Review's analysis. The author discusses the concept of creativity as generating original ideas by connecting seemingly unrelated concepts—a process he learned during art studies at Vassar College.
The Nature of Creativity¶
Creativity is described as inherently difficult because it requires openness to novel combinations and risks social rejection. The author notes that most people seek tribal approval rather than pursuing truly original ideas. He illustrates this with personal experience in art classes and corporate environments where "devil's advocate" thinking often blunts innovative proposals.
Corporate Creativity and AI¶
The piece examines Harvard Business Review's scenarios for AI's impact on corporate creativity. One scenario suggests AI will enhance human productivity by accelerating ideation and content creation while reducing effort required for initial concept development.
The author shares a personal example: using ChatGPT to develop "EcoFresh," a fictional sustainable mouthwash brand for an article on e-commerce. He emphasizes that ChatGPT's conversational, Socratic approach mirrors effective adult learning methods.
Concerns About AI-Generated Content¶
A second scenario warns of "unfair algorithmic competition" where AI-generated content overwhelms authentic human creativity. The author acknowledges emerging copyright lawsuits against AI platforms and notes that intellectual property law hasn't caught up with technological advancement.
Conclusion: Risk and Authentic Creativity¶
The author argues that genuine creativity inherently requires human risk-taking—fear of rejection, social separation, and ego investment. Large language models lack these risk-taking capabilities; instead, risk originates in how humans craft prompts and formulate questions. Therefore, corporate creativity's future depends on human judgment and vision, not algorithmic capability.