AI: Creativity's Friend or Foe?
Image by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
From finding your next vacation spot to generating a lesson plan, rewriting a resume, or coming up with essay topics, AI has become intertwined with the creative process. But what exactly is AI, and what impacts does it have on creativity?
What is AI? Traditional vs. Generative
There are two main types of AI discussed today: traditional and generative AI. According to MIT, traditional AI works by “analyzing data, identifying patterns, and making predictions.” It excels at working with predefined guidelines, making it perfect for tasks such as image recognition, answering questions, or making recommendations. Traditional AI models power virtual assistants, streaming recommendations, or automated video game characters. It’s most helpful in streamlining solutions and making our lives easier.
Generative AI, on the other hand, creates entirely new outputs based on user prompts or training data. Rather than just recognizing patterns or making predictions, generative AI learns patterns and can create new graphics, music, videos, or even programming code. You’re most likely to come across generative AI in the form of advanced chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini, or image-generating platforms like DALL·E.
With AI making waves in creative projects—such as writing essays, refining accents in films, or generating new cartoons—it’s natural to wonder how generative AI compares with human creativity and what long-term effects it may have on our ability to create. It turns out, the answer is not straightforward. Multiple independent studies have found that while AI can increase creativity in some scenarios, it can also reduce the diversity of ideas in some situations.
Does AI Lead to More Creativity or Less?
The answer is complicated. In a study published in Science, researchers asked three groups of individuals to write a short, eight-sentence story. One group had no access to generative AI, and the other groups did. The groups that used generative AI wrote more creative stories, but they also wrote stories that were more similar to each other. Put simply, there was more diversity of thought among the non-AI group.
Wharton professors found a similar phenomenon. In their research, participants were asked to complete creative tasks, such as generating toy names, with and without the help of ChatGPT. They found that individuals who used AI were more likely to create the exact same toy names as others in their group, even when working completely independently. In contrast, the human-only group produced completely unique ideas. These researchers believe that one reason behind the AI group’s overlapping responses is that people are using similar prompts for ChatGPT, and that small changes in how questions are posed will lead to the AI models generating more diverse results.
How to Use AI Effectively
To make the most of AI in your creative projects, follow these tips that AI experts use themselves:
Go human-first: When generating ideas, AI experts recommend using human ideas as the basis of brainstorming before turning to AI. Tackling a problem or taking pen to paper first keeps your brain working and treats AI as a tool in your toolbox rather than a sole source of inspiration.
Use different models: Input slightly different prompts into multiple AI models to increase the variety of responses you get across different platforms. ChatGPT might come back with something different than Copilot. You never know how varying responses will spark your creativity!
Try chain-of-thought prompting: Instead of asking AI for many ideas at once, break the task into smaller steps. This type of prompting is almost like making AI “show its work” or “think out loud.” It allows you to refine direction and spark new ideas at every stage.
As AI becomes more prevalent, researchers are investigating whether it has harmful effects. Early research suggests it might not be completely harmless. In a study by MIT, researchers used an EEG to measure brain activity and cognitive engagement during tasks done with or without AI. They had three groups of people write an essay: one with access to AI, one with access to a search engine, and one “brain-only” group. The results showed that cognitive engagement and neural connectivity were far lower in the AI and search engine groups. Not only that, but when researchers asked the participants to recall quotes from the essays they had written minutes earlier, the AI group fell far behind the brain-only group. These results indicate that AI might pose a threat to knowledge retention, learning, and potentially development. As more research is conducted on this topic, we may gain a better understanding of how it affects our thinking, especially when used by children and teens.
Looking Ahead
As we look ahead, it’s clear that AI will continue to shape the way we think, learn, and create—but its impact depends largely on how we choose to use it. Generative AI can boost creativity and productivity, yet it also risks narrowing our ideas and weakening the very cognitive processes that fuel original thought. The challenge moving forward isn’t deciding whether AI is good or bad for creativity; it’s learning how to integrate it in ways that strengthen, rather than replace, human imagination. By approaching AI as a partner instead of a crutch—grounding our ideas in human insight, experimenting with diverse tools, and staying actively engaged in the creative process—we can ensure that creativity doesn’t fade in the age of AI, but evolves alongside it.
PS: This essay was written by a human–except for one paragraph, which was written by Microsoft Copilot. Can you tell which one?
About the Rialto Center for Creativity
The Rialto Center for Creativity is transforming Westfield’s historic Rialto Theater into a vibrant hub for cultural conversation, live performances, and hands-on learning.
The Rialto Center for Creativity is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c )(3).