Embracing Creativity in the Age of AI: The Increasing Importance of Creativity for Learning

Did you think the benefit of generative AI is to assist us in writing and working faster? This is true, but only one side of the coin on how AI will help us in our work. There is another side: AI can enhance our creative capabilities.

Generative AI in the form of ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, and others is entering the workplace. In a study in Denmark under 100.000 workers from 11 occupations 50% had used ChatGPT at work. Marketing professionals are leading the way with 65% using ChatGPT, 45% of HR professionals and 38% of teachers have used ChatGPT for work purposes (Humlum and Vestergaard, 2024). This use of generative AI will lead to a shift in jobs and job descriptions. Increasingly companies are searching for creative professionals who can contribute to innovation.

This foreseeable shift in the job market, caused by AI, has implications for us as teachers and designers of learning in the workplace. We have to embrace AI to enhance the creativity of the students and workers. Instead of making people feel that using ChatGPT is cheating, we have to show them that it can enhance our creative capacities too!

Creativity: A Collaboration Between Human and Machine

Have you tried making a song with Suno or asked ChatGPT to write a story? AI’s ability to generate art, compose music, and even write stories is both fascinating and intimidating. Recent studies have shown that AI can outperform humans in creativity tests (Meincke, Mollick and Terwiesch, 2024). However, while AI excels in creating, it lacks the intrinsic human qualities that make creativity truly impactful—empathy, intuition, and contextual understanding. People are better at problem solving. Therefore, the real power of creativity in the age of AI lies in the collaboration between humans and machines.

We don’t have to innovate alone: professionals may work with AI as their creative buddy.

“Humans will still have a large role to play in innovation… but they would be foolish not to include AI in that process”
Ethan Mollick (2023)

The concept of co-intelligence, as explored in Ethan Mollick’s book “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI”, emphasises the collaborative potential of humans and AI. Mollick argues that by working together, humans and AI can achieve outcomes that neither could accomplish alone. This idea is at the heart of our workshop, where we will demonstrate how AI can be a powerful ally in your creative endeavours.

AI’s Creative Power as a Tool for Educators and L&D Professionals

AI’s ability to generate diverse and innovative ideas can be a powerful tool for educators and L&D professionals. According to the paper “Prompting Diverse Ideas: Increasing AI Idea Variance” (Meincke, Mollick and Terwiesch, 2024), AI can be used to prompt a wide range of creative ideas that might not occur to humans alone. This capability is particularly valuable in educational settings, where diverse perspectives and innovative solutions are essential for effective learning.

An example: using music in learning activates multiple areas of the brain, including those responsible for emotion, memory, and motor skills, leading to deeper engagement and better retention of information. Music’s rhythmic and melodic elements can enhance mood and focus, making it easier for students to absorb and recall content. With tools like Suno or Song.do you can ask participants to create a song about for instance a historic figure. By listening to and comparing the songs, creativity is stimulated. They may write the lyrics themselves or use AI for that part too.

Our Workshop at #OEB24 “Embracing Creativity in the Age of AI”

In our pre-conference workshop for OEB, 23 November 2024, we will explore practical applications of this research, showing you how to use AI tools in two ways:

To be more creative yourself. With generative AI you can generate a multitude of creative ideas that can enhance your teaching and professional practices. Imagine an AI tool that can help you brainstorm new lesson plans, develop unique project ideas, or create engaging learning materials. By leveraging AI’s capacity for idea generation, you can expand your creative horizons and deliver more dynamic and impactful learning experiences.
You can also design creative lessons. We will provide hands-on experiences with AI technologies designed for creative arts, using text, images or sound. Think of working with images, music composition tools, and interactive storytelling applications. By combining these tools with your own human insights, you can create richer, more engaging learning experiences that resonate with your students.

By attending this workshop, you will not only gain a deeper appreciation for the role of creativity in the age of AI but also acquire practical skills and knowledge that you can immediately apply to your teaching and professional practices. You will leave with a toolkit of AI-enhanced creative strategies that can transform the way you design and deliver learning experiences.

Reflecting on Different Forms of Creativity

Creativity comes in many forms—conceptual, procedural, and expressive. Our workshop will encourage you to reflect on these different forms of creativity and consider how they apply to your learning approach. Through discussions and collaborative exercises, you will gain a deeper understanding of how to harness your own creativity and the creative potential of AI to enhance your educational practices.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the importance of human creativity cannot be overstated. AI offers incredible tools that, when used thoughtfully, can amplify our creative capacities and transform learning experiences. Join us in our workshop for a fun experience to embrace and enhance your own creativity. Together, we can navigate this exciting frontier and ensure that our educational systems are not only relevant but also inspiring in the age of AI.

Written by Joitske Hulsebosch, Steven van Luipen, and Ite Smit

Literature

● Meincke, Mollick and Terwiesch, Prompting Diverse Ideas: Increasing AI Idea Variance: This paper provides a comprehensive overview of how AI can be used to generate diverse and innovative ideas, setting the stage for our workshop discussions. Read the paper

● Ethan Mollick: Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI: A thought-provoking book that delves into the concept of co-intelligence and how humans and AI can collaborate effectively. Check out the book

● Anders Humlum and Emilie Vestergaard, The Adoption of ChatGPT, research brief June 2024