Having been in the creativity and innovation business for over four decades, I am often asked if AI is destroying our ability to be creative. My resounding answer to that question is: “No.”
AI is not destroying our creativity. If anything, AI is a powerful tool that enhances our creative productivity.
AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, right? But is AI really “intelligent?” I am not so sure. I have discussed this topic several times with my friend, Dr. Wade Troxell, mayor emeritus of Fort Collins, Colorado, and associate professor of engineering at Colorado State University.
We were having lunch recently when he shared the story of the “Chinese Room” as put forth by the philosopher John Searle. Now, I am sure that those of you in the AI world are familiar with this concept, but it was new to me. Here’s the story:
John Searle’s “Chinese Room” is a thought experiment he introduced in 1980 to challenge the notion that computers can truly understand or “think” simply by running a program. Here’s a summary of the story and its implications:
The Setup: Searle imagines himself locked in a room with a rulebook written in English that allows him to manipulate Chinese symbols. Outside the room, a person writes questions in Chinese and slips them under the door. Using the rulebook, Searle matches the input symbols with appropriate output symbols, then sends responses back out without understanding Chinese.
The Argument: Although Searle’s responses are indistinguishable from those of a fluent Chinese speaker, he argues that he doesn’t actually understand the language. Instead, he’s merely following syntactic rules to manipulate symbols.
The Implication: This challenges the concept of Strong AI, which claims that a sufficiently advanced computer running the right program could genuinely “understand” or have a mind. Searle asserts that, like himself in the Chinese Room, computers only manipulate symbols without any true understanding (semantics). Thus, they lack consciousness or intentionality.
Key Takeaway: The Chinese Room suggests that programming of digital computers alone cannot create a mind or understanding—it only produces the appearance of understanding. These actors do not know, understand, nor reason about any of the texts they generate.
With that in mind, let’s consider a few things about AI.
AI has all of the knowledge in the world, but it has no wisdom.
It is the human who possesses the reasoning, understanding, and discernment. It is the human who directs the AI to search for answers. The human has to interpret the results.
AI doesn’t pose the questions or discern the most viable solution to a problem.
AI is not curious. It is just statistically derived models of sequences of symbols found in a very large collection of symbols taken from a very large variety of human writings.
AI doesn’t imagine, but it does fabricate—and it can be inaccurate.
The chatbot did not initiate the creative act or ask the creative question. That is the job of the human.
AI has no emotions. Think of some of the most moving music you have ever listened to. Much of that music originated from the composer falling in love or dealing with a broken heart.
AI has never fallen in love. It has never had a broken heart…because it has no heart.
AI Isn’t Intelligent—But It’s a Great Creative Partner
I like ChatGPT. It has saved me a great deal of time when researching topics, although the results still need to be verified for accuracy.
I have successfully used AI to support my creativity and assist my clients in their innovation efforts. Here’s how:
There are basically two types of thinking in the creative process: divergent and convergent thinking.
Divergent thinking is a way of thinking used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possibilities. It involves thinking in a non-linear, free-flowing manner, often characterized by the ability to see many different aspects of a problem and produce a wide array of potential answers. This type of thinking is often spontaneous and free of judgment, encouraging openness and the consideration of diverse perspectives. Divergent thinking is the kind of thinking used in a brainstorming session.
Convergent thinking is a way of thinking used to analyze and evaluate multiple ideas to determine the best solution. It involves logical, systematic, and focused thinking to narrow down the options and select the most appropriate one. This type of thinking is often associated with problem-solving that requires a single, correct answer or a well-defined solution.
One of the ways I use AI is to jumpstart my divergent thinking. For example, I asked ChatGPT what might be all of the titles for this blog. Here are just a few examples:
- “Is AI Destroying Creativity? A 47-Year Perspective.”
- The Role of AI in Creative Productivity”
- “AI: Enhancer or Destroyer of Creativity?”
- “Artificial Intelligence: Tool or Threat to Creativity?”
- “Creativity in the Age of AI”
Now that I have a variety of titles to choose from, it is my job to review those options and select or adapt the one that I think would be most appealing for this article.
One of the uses of convergent thinking that I have applied to enhance creativity is in the selection of ideas. In my Breakthrough Lab, my colleague Dr. David Yates and I have used ChatGPT to sort and categorize ideas for our clients.
In some of the Breakthrough Labs we have conducted, the creative catalyst team has generated upward of 1,700 ideas for solving a specific problem identified by the client. When confronted with that many ideas, it can be overwhelming for a client to begin to select the best ones for moving forward. That is where a chatbot is extremely useful.
We simply ask the AI to group the ideas generated into similar themes. The client can then review these themes and add to them, build on them, or disregard them altogether. But once again, the chatbot is used to start the convergent process, not complete it. That is the job of the human.
AI may never love, dream, or despair, but it can amplify our ability to create, reminding us that humanity’s greatest strength lies in its heart and imagination. In a world of infinite data, it is still the human spirit, with its wisdom and emotion, that transforms information into inspiration.
Written by Roger Firestien, Ph.D.
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