Robo Ops: Can AI Boost Human Creativity?

As a designer using AI multiple times a day I keep forgetting that many people are still robo-resistant.

So here are my current thoughts on generative AI - the TL;DR is I believe these technologies can and do enhance creativity when used thoughtfully. It feels taboo but it’s my truth for now.

It takes a lot of conscious effort to craft an effective prompt. And that process remains mine, no matter the tool I use. I direct and produce the creation of something based on my worldview, emotions, values, memories, and imagination.

Instructing someone (something!) else makes my own understanding sharper. The more I prompt, the clearer I see. The clearer I see, the more constraints I set. The more constraints I set, the more my creativity has room to grow.

AI allows me to push through the ‘many crappy drafts’ stage faster, with greater mental clarity intact. My cognitive load used to be reached quite quickly from producing work I didn’t feel proud of. Because the only way to get to good is to create lots of not-good. Now I go through many iterations and still have the brainpower to keep going.

At first, I would feel dissatisfied because I reached the top of the mountain but didn’t have the sore legs and sweaty brow to feel a sense of achievement. Now I realise I’ve climbed a small mountain and still have energy to go try Everest one day.

Less time faffing means more time:

- thinking strategically
- reflecting on my creative practice
- speaking to end users about their experiences
- building and nurturing stakeholder relationships
- observing, learning, continuously improving my own work processes

Creativity is so much more than the end result. But the end result is still impressive when you work less hard. In fact, there are no prizes for doing things the most mentally taxing way… it takes some of us perfectionists a long time to realise this.

How might we express creativity in new ways by embracing emerging technologies?