A recent Gallup poll revealed that 72% of Fortune 500 CHROs believe AI will replace a significant number of jobs in the next three years. In the current climate, this fear is felt perhaps most palpably among creatives roles. But Dr. Thomas Z Ramsøy argues that AI will complement rather than replace human creativity and ingenuity. Read on to find out why.

The question, ‘Will AI replace creatives?’ has sparked a plethora of discussions and debates, reflecting a prevailing apprehension across the creative community. AI has already demonstrated its prowess in numerous industries, including healthcare, design, and advertising. It has proved effective at automating repetitive tasks and generating text and video. But this doesn’t mean it can replace creative practitioners. Instead, if used in the right way, it can enhance our creative skills in a valuable way.

Contrary to the belief that creativity is a uniquely human trait rooted in our capacity for imagination, emotion, and intuition, recent tests show that AI models can now surpass humans on standard creativity tests. This revelation challenges our understanding of what it means to be creative, and opens up new avenues for the exploration of AI’s role in creative processes.

AI is not merely a set of analytical tools and processes; it includes capabilities that we associate with human intuition. Recent advancements in AI demonstrate that these models can mirror the traits and capabilities of human intuition that it’s trained on, blurring the lines between computational processes and intuitive reasoning. This means we can collaborate rather than compete with AI.

Creating a synergy of human skills and artificial intelligence

The real power lies in the synergy between humans and AI, in what is termed as ‘augmented intelligence’ and ‘collaborative intelligence.’ The best results are found when there is a collaboration between humans and AI, with humans knowing what they want and AI acting as a powerful extra hand to speed up the realization of ideas from ideation.

Here are five key areas where this synergy can help bring about profound progress:

1. Enhanced creativity
AI assists in brainstorming, suggesting ideas, and offering unique perspectives, analysing data to identify unexplored themes or gaps in the marketand provide a rich source of inspiration.

2. Risk-free experimentation
Predictive AI tools allow for risk-free experimentation as they give immediate feedback on what works and how people respond to creative ideas, including AI-generated content.

3. Efficiency & productivity
AI automates time-consuming tasks, allowing creators to focus more on the actual creative process, increasing productivity and time available for experimentation.

4. Personalized content
AI-driven systems help tailor work to specific audiences, enhancing reach and impact.

5. Cross-disciplinary collaboration
AI bridges the gap between different creative domains, facilitating collaboration and leading to groundbreaking innovations.

6. Data-driven creativity
AI reveals insights and trends that human creatives might have missed, leading to new and exciting creative directions.

AI, the new electricity

Jon Brandt from Adobe puts it succinctly:

“AI will enhance people, expanding the scope of creative expression. It’s powerful now, but when artists take over, it will be truly amazing.”

This idea goes beyond mere theory. We are beginning to see tangible applications and concrete outcomes that showcase the revolutionary influence of AI in the creative field. In my own work at Neurons Inc, I have found that designers using predictive AI models increase their productivity by more than 20% and boost their accuracy by several orders of magnitude.

AI is not a creator in its own right. The beauty of human creativity lies in its unpredictability, emotional depth, and the unique ability to imbue our experiences with meaning, qualities that are beyond the reach of AI. So as we navigate this technological and intellectual paradigm shift, we must ensure that AI remains a tool in the hands of creative individuals rather than a replacement for them.

Andrew Ng, a pioneer in the field said: “AI is the new electricity.” Just as electricity transformed many industries in the past, AI now holds the potential to do the same. The best version of our future is one where AI and humans amplify each other’s strengths, helping civilization flourish like never before.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Thomas Z. Ramsøy is one of the leading scholars and practitioners of applied neuroscience. Besides being the director of the Center for Decision Neuroscience at the Copenhagen Business School, he is also the Founder and CEO of Neurons Inc, a world-wide applied neuroscience company. Dr. Ramsøy publishes extensively on the application of neuroscience tools and insights into business and society, and in his commercial company he tests anything between consumer responses to robots, how store aisle make-overs affect stress, and how leaders can become better decision-makers through reducing their mental workload.

Dr. Thomas Z. Ramsøy
CEO, Neurons