Does AI Spark or Smother Human Creativity? What AI Means for Creative Professionals

Welcome to the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword in recent years. It has been talked about by business leaders, news outlets, and, increasingly, the general public. AI is no longer just something we see in our favorite science fiction stories or an enterprise tool for large companies but is becoming a reality that everyone can access. Yet, along with all of this excitement, there is also apprehension about what AI might mean for our future. In this blog post, we explore why people are both excited and fearful of AI as it becomes increasingly available to the general public and how AI will impact the future of work – especially for creative professionals.

AI Tools for Writing, Design, & More

AI tools such as Jasper and ChatGPT are changing how people interact with technology. These tools use natural language processing technology to understand complex human conversations and generate responses that sound like humans speaking. They can be used to provide information, respond to inquiries, and help automate customer service tasks. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, they constantly get more intelligent the more they are used. 

The rapid growth of AI tools has raised a lot of interest and several concerns. While AI tools offer convenience and creative solutions, there is a fear that their use could lead to job loss and economic disruption. There is also a fear that AI will create new opportunities to manipulate people by feeding them biased or false information. Lastly, there are ethical questions around the data that powers AI as well as potential issues with privacy and copyrights. To better understand what the future may hold for both AI and for humans, we chatted with ChatGPT to get its take on the evolution of AI.

A Chat with a Robot about Where AI is Headed and What it Means for the Future of Work

How long will it take for AI to replace human workers?

It is difficult to predict exactly how long it will take for AI to replace human workers in certain industries or jobs. The timeline for AI replacing human workers will depend on a variety of factors, including the complexity of the tasks involved, the rate of technological advancement, and the willingness of employers to adopt AI solutions. Some jobs, such as data entry or repetitive manual labor, may be automated relatively quickly, while others, such as jobs that involve complex problem-solving or emotional intelligence, may be more difficult to automate. Additionally, the impact of AI on job displacement will also depend on the ability of workers to adapt to new roles and the overall economic environment.

What roles will humans still be best at as AI matures?

As AI matures, it is likely that humans will continue to be best at tasks that involve creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. These tasks often require a level of flexibility and adaptability that is difficult for machines to replicate. For example:

• Creative roles such as writing, art, and design
• Jobs that require high level of emotional intelligence like therapy, teaching, and customer service.
• Jobs that require critical thinking skills such as healthcare, law, and financial analysis
• Jobs that require common sense and human judgment, like decision making, and problem solving
• Jobs that require a high level of physical dexterity, such as construction and repair work.

It’s also worth noting that AI can assist humans in these tasks, augmenting their abilities and allowing them to be more efficient and effective.

You listed creative roles as still being best done by humans. How do you reconcile that with the fact that some of the earliest AI technology to be widely available is responsible for impressive designs and writing that is superior to most human writers?

It is true that AI is becoming increasingly capable of creating designs and writing that is comparable to that of humans. However, while AI can produce high-quality designs and writing, it is still limited in its ability to generate truly original and creative ideas.

AI can be trained to produce designs and writing that is similar to a specific style or genre, but it can’t come up with something new, it can only generate variations of what it was trained on. Additionally, AI-generated designs and writing can lack the emotional depth and nuance that is often present in human-generated work.

That being said, AI is becoming more advanced, and it’s possible that in the future, it will be able to create truly original and creative designs and writing. However, it is unlikely that AI will completely replace humans in creative roles in the near future.

Taking AI’s Creativity for a Spin: Machine-Generated Poetry

Just for fun, I asked the AI tool Jasper to write a poem about marketing (what else?) in the style of a few well-known human poets. Here’s what Jasper came up with…

Prompt: Write a poem about marketing in the style of Shel Silverstein

Marketing is a tricky thing,

It’s fancy and clever, it can make you king.

But if you don’t get the messaging right

Your brand could go up in smoke in one night.

There’s no secret rule to success,

It just takes some hard work and finesse.

So forget about the ad agencies,

You have to put the effort in, please.

Prompt: Write a poem about marketing in the style of Maya Angelou

Marketing requires a certain finesse,

Where grace and wit come together to impress.

The right words and images will draw the eye,

Making customers want to

try your pie.

Yet more than just visuals must be included,

For nods of approval the message be heeded.

Commonalities shared can help build the trust,

And create a connection that won ‘t turn to dust.

Prompt: Write a poem about marketing in the style of Edgar Allen Poe

Marketing must capture attention so strong,

That wallet ‘s will open without a thought of wrong.  

It must contain a certain mystique and charm,

Where curiosity tempts the customer to no harm.

Cleverly crafted tales will make them pause,

And find your offering worth their cause.

The right message can bring success so grand,

An audience lost in its beauty like a faerie’ s land.

An Eye Toward the Future

As AI tools like Jasper and ChatGPT become more publicly available, creative professionals will undoubtedly be challenged to adapt their skills to a new technological landscape. However, this isn’t inherently bad, and the future of work for creatives is not bleak. As ChatGPT told us, human skills like creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence cannot be replaced by a machine and will therefore become more important for creative professionals. In addition, the use of AI tools can provide insights that help people overcome traditional barriers associated with creativity, allowing them to explore new areas of content creation. 

As AI continues to evolve, the possibilities are endless for those seeking to push boundaries in their field and be fearless about what the future of work may hold.