Is AI Taking Away Our Creative Edge? The answer is not that simple!

Or Artificial intelligence is getting more creative?

Chinmay Bhalerao
7 min readJan 21, 2023
Image by the author via Dalle.2

Legend says ‘Creativity Is Humanity’s Only Advantage Against AI’

The use of AI has undoubtedly been a game-changer in many industries, and it has certainly made our lives easier. But does this mean that creativity is decreasing with the rise of AI?

There are several examples available that show how AI may be taught to display innovative behaviors. For instance, artificial intelligence (AI) may be used to apply a certain creative style to original pictures. The use of mobile programs like Prisma, which enables the transmission of artistic flair, has skyrocketed in popularity. AI may also be utilized to create original paintings or photos. A new artwork made by AI software was recently claimed to have sold at auction for an astounding US$432,500!

AI-generated artwork by the author via Dalle.2

Human intelligence (HI) is stronger at producing content, such as works of art or literature, and at finding innovative solutions to problems, such as seeing a commercial opportunity. Despite the fact that AI has been utilized to produce literary works and artistic works, it can only imitate what already exists. It is still unable to produce “new” forms of literature, dance, or art. AI may therefore discover the patterns that underpin the creative process. However, HI vastly outperforms AI for tasks like establishing a business, which is seldom if ever duplicated in precisely the same way.

The discussion around creativity and AI is one that has been ongoing for some time. With the increasing use of AI, there is a fear that human dependency on technology will lead to a decrease in creativity. According to me, this doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, when used correctly, AI can be an invaluable tool for enhancing creativity and generating new ideas.

By understanding how AI works and how it can be used to support creative processes, we can ensure that our creativity does not suffer due to its use. We should not think of AI as a replacement for humans but rather as an assistant that can help us become more creative and efficient in our workflows.

Image by the author via Dalle.2

The answer to this question is not a simple yes or no. While it is true that AI can automate certain tasks and reduce the amount of human effort needed, it cannot replace creativity entirely. In fact, when used properly, AI can actually enhance creativity by providing us with more data and insights to work with. Therefore, while there may be some decrease in creativity due to AI, it is important to remember that humans are still an integral part of the creative process. With the right combination of human and machine intelligence, we can create truly remarkable works of art.

While there are those who believe that AI is taking away the creative spark of humans, there are also those who believe that it is helping us to be more creative.

Image by the author via Dalle.2

AI can help us to think outside the box and come up with new ideas and solutions for challenging problems. It can also help us to automate mundane tasks so that we can focus our energy on more creative endeavors. However, too much reliance on AI can lead to a decrease in our own creativity as human beings, as we become increasingly dependent on it instead of using our own critical thinking skills.

As Entrepreneur wrote,

In the field of contemporary art, artificial intelligence is working crucial. AI has become a significant component of contemporary art, from software that produces creative artwork to robots that are controlled by AI and produce paintings. In the arts and design, artificial intelligence is occasionally employed. It’s common to refer to this as algorithmic art.

Computer software, algorithms, and automated computer programs are used to make algorithmic art. Programs for 3D modeling and design also incorporate artificial intelligence. Similar to computer-generated music, algorithms used in AI-generated art and design are developed by computer programs that obey instructions and deliver certain outcomes.

Figure 1: Distribution of CD5. This figure gives an overview of the distribution of CD5 for papers and patents. Panels A and C show counts of papers and patents over discrete intervals of CD5. Panels B and D show the distribution of CD5 over time, within 10 (papers) and 5 (patents) year intervals, using letter-value plots51. These plots are similar to boxplots but generally provide more reliable summaries for large datasets. They are drawn by identifying the median of the underlying distribution and then recursively drawing boxes outward from there in either direction that encompass half of the remaining data. [Source]

The use of AI in various industries has been increasing steadily over the years. From healthcare to finance, AI is being used to automate and streamline processes. However, there is a fear that with the rise of AI, creativity is decreasing as humans are becoming more dependent on computers for their work.

As a senior data scientist, Salvatore Raieli referred in his blog,

Research demonstrates a recent drop in innovative science and technology. The explanation, according to the authors, is “because scientists and innovators relied on a more constrained set of existing knowledge.”

Other researchers have examined the reduction in scientific creativity (though none in this extensive manner). Various additional variables have also been mentioned, including a more competitive climate, greater expenses, huge groupings, and consortia (another research suggests that consortia mainly produce incremental research).

AI can be used as a tool to enhance creativity rather than replace it, and consider potential use cases where this could be beneficial. Finally, we will discuss how humans can use their creative skills in conjunction with AI to create even better results than either could achieve alone.

Image by the author via Dalle.2

The future of art?

According to The Conversation,

Although there have been significant advancements in the previous five years, AI art models still have certain limitations. Although sometimes nonsense, the words in their artwork are recognizable. In a similar vein, AI has trouble simulating human hands.

Hands drew by dalle.2 [Source: Blog by Merzmensch on Drawing hands and AI]

The fact that these models can only create digital art is another evident limitation. They are unable to use pastels or oils the way other individuals can. Technology may initially cause a swing toward a new form, similar to how vinyl has made a comeback, but over time consumers always tend to circle back to the original form with the finest quality.

In the end, as a prior study has indicated, AI models are more likely to operate as new tools for artists than as digital substitutes for creative individuals in their current form. For instance, the AI may provide a variety of images as a starting point, from which a human artist could choose and make improvements.

This blends the advantages of artificial intelligence art models (quick picture production and iteration) with those of human artists (a vision for the piece of art and overcoming the problems with AI models). This is particularly relevant when creating work for a commission when a precise result is required. It’s improbable that AI will generate everything you need on its own.

In conclusion,

Human creativity is unique because it is driven by emotions, personal experiences, and intuition, which AI currently lacks. Additionally, humans have the ability to make connections and draw inspiration from various sources, while AI is limited to the data it has been trained on. However, AI has the ability to process large amounts of data and find patterns that humans may miss, and it can also perform repetitive tasks with high accuracy and efficiency. Therefore, it’s likely that human creativity and AI will complement each other in many fields, but there will always be areas where human creativity is essential.

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Chinmay Bhalerao
Chinmay Bhalerao

Written by Chinmay Bhalerao

AI-ML Researcher & Developer | 3 X Top writer in Artificial intelligence, Computer vision & Object detection | Mathematical Modelling & Simulations