Is AI creative? Will it replace “creatives” like artists, videographers, painters, musicians, and designers? The short answer is no, but clarity is needed here because creativity is misunderstood. The reason for the fear behind an AI creative disruption is due to our low opinion of our own creative potential.
Many of today’s “creatives” aren’t really creative
If you think about “creative” industries you will notice it’s divided up into two categories. Those who truly create, introducing new, fresh ideas, and the rest who rip off and re-purpose, adding no additional value. What does that sound like? AI.
AI is great at ripping off and re-purposing content that already exists. There’s a lot of value in how AI recognizes patterns and is able to repeat and apply those patterns. But that’s not creative—it’s the illusion of creativity. That’s the key difference most miss.
Can AI create an image or song? Absolutely! But is it creative? No. AI will never create a new genre. AI won’t create the next cubist movement. AI cannot, and will not be creative.
Our low expectation of creativity is the reason we are so amazed by AI’s supposed creative power.
AI is Rational and Logical. And that’s the problem
AI is rational and logical (most of the time). Humans are irrational and illogical (most of the time) and this key difference is what makes us uniquely creative. Much of human creativity’s biggest achievements and discovery were the product of human failure and curiosity—traits AI can’t replicate.
Consider the discovery of penicillin.
In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin when he noticed that a mold called Penicillium notatum had killed bacteria in a petri dish he had accidentally left uncovered. This discovery revolutionized medicine but was illogical and accidental. Not only would an AI robot have never made the mistake, but would not have been curious enough to test what it considered a failure in the first place.
In fact, human curiosity, that “just for the heck of it” hunch is irrational. An AI may consider it a waste of time. Yet consider how many creative ventures are from people who gave convention the metaphorical middle finger.
Yes, AI can expedite research and will be a great aid to creatives, but AI won’t replace creatives, just cheap knock-off creatives who don’t utilize their God-given ability.
The future of AI in content
As AI makes its way into content creation, true creatives will find themselves ahead.
AI in Search Engine Ranking (SEO)
Duplicate or “skyscraper” content, as it’s called, will be a thing of the past. Because AI is fantastic at pattern recognition, it will be more readily able to determine unique sources of creative content, punishing the cheap knock offs. Was copying others content ever creative? No.
AI in video and podcast production
AI will write podcast summaries, transcripts, chapters, headlines, and edit and produce podcasts— all available right now from Descript and Riverside. AI can help research too. But AI should never the place of human curiosity and inquiry. Was simply re-writing a summary of an interview a host just recored a creative task? No.
AI for thumbnails and visual aids
AI will create quick illustrative and unique thumbnails for social media, blogs, and videos, every single one unique. Before Dall-E and Grok were creating images for us, people relied on Stockphoto websites. Was simply using the same photos over and over again for different single-use blogs creative? No.
