A few weeks ago I attended a talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, the world-renowned author, journalist, podcaster and creator of creativity bible Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear (as well as novels Eat, Pray, Love and City of Girls among many other things). 

The majority of Liz’s heartfelt and sage message centred upon the subtle but profound distinction between forgiveness and mercy. However, there was also plenty of time to discuss the topic with which she has become indelibly linked: Creativity. And a particular quote stuck with me:

“The creative life is not about being an artist.
It is one of curiosity.”

It got me thinking about the current debate about whether or not Generative AI can or will replace human creativity that generally presents a spectrum whereby, at one extreme, the days of human artists are numbered. If a machine can create something in an instant that is visually striking and communicates a message, yet it would take hours, days or weeks for a human to fulfil the same brief, then frankly, who has the time to wait for (or the will to pay) the human?

This view tends to be popular amongst the tech community who see the world through feature lists, some less brand-savvy marketing & sales people who “just need some content fast for this social media or email campaign,” and finance directors who have been persistently trying to cut spending on creatives for years.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who hold that human creativity is sacred, and that machines can never come close to the sanctity of human creative expression.

And then there’s a whole savannah of blurry middle where the curiosity that Liz Gilbert speaks of comes into play. This is one area where I’m optimistic that the AI revolution can help us enter a new golden age of creativity.

If we see a creative life as not just making art, but also being curious, exploring ideas, connecting them, and using new tools to express ourselves in fresh ways, then Generative AI can boost and expand human creativity.

AI can give us access to and understanding of ideas and concepts, old and new. Already we’ve seen that image generation tools like Midjourney have sparked renewed interest in Art History, as its users seek to learn about classic artistic styles of the past to influence new expressions today.

Generative AI lets us try out different ways of expressing ourselves. We can find styles we like by experimenting, something that used to be possible only for professional artists or people with a lot of free time.

I believe that, ultimately, this combination of human curiosity, imagination and experimentation enabled by technology will give birth to new and as yet hard-to-conceive-of forms of expression.

Can AI-generated art be considered as ‘valuable’ as purely human-generated art? Well, that’s open to debate. I would argue that we should still place a high premium on the years of graft, craft and experience it takes a human to create an artefact that can stop its beholders in their tracks, feel something deeply, and learn something about humanity.

But that doesn’t mean that humans experimenting with new AI tools is not also a creative act.

What do you think?

In issue #72 we asked for your opinion on AI companions:
67% of you were generally in favour of AI companions, given that they offer an environment where people can experiment with different identities, develop social skills, get coached, share things they can't elsewhere, or find comfort in times of emotional hardship.

“AI-assisted coaching and therapy is probably better than no - or incompetent - coaching and therapy,“ added Laura May.

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The New Creators’ Toolbox

If you’re new to creating with Generative AI here are my top recommendations for the most useful AI-powered creative tools available today:

For all-round Creative Studio capabilities: Canva

Canva last week unveiled a host of new AI-powered capabilities in its updated ‘Magic Studio’, including Magic Design for Video, Magic Edit, Magic Grab and the ability to integrate a wide range of third-party AI apps like Dall:E, music generation tool MelodyMuse and QR code generator Hello QArt within its already extremely user-friendly and cost-effective platform.

I’d go as far as to say that Canva is an essential must-have tool in any wannabe creator’s arsenal.

For Image Generation: Midjourney

Yes, there are many, many other AI text-to-image generators, but for me, after a bit of practice with prompting, the image results from Midjourney look the most striking and convincing.

For Audio Generation: Suno

In the past few months, several tools like Suno have popped up enabling anybody with an idea and a prompt to create passable songs in any musical style. It may be a copyright timebomb waiting to explode, but it’s a lot of fun and has practical use cases as an alternative to content-backing tracks.

For Video Generation: Runway

You’ve doubtless seen the teaser content from OpenAI’s text-to-video tool Sora. And indeed, Google have teased a very similar product called Veo. But neither are available to the masess yet, so for now, the leader of the AI-generated video field is Runway. From a single prompt you can generate a 4 second video, then you can choose to extend your shot up to a total of 16 seconds.

I deliberately gave you just my top recommendations in each key category rather than an overwhelming, all-encompassing list. But if you want a fuller list, you can also find that here.

How Generative AI can augment human creativity

In this article, Harvard Business Review shows a wide range of practical examples of how Generative AI can be used throughout the creative process. For example, supporting in divergent thinking, challenging human cognitive biases, assisting in detailed idea evaluation and helping in idea refinement.

Read more…

Even ChatGPT has 50 arguments against the use of AI in creative fields

What does ChatGPT itself think about the impacts of AI in the creative fields? Researchers asked the large language model for its point of view and it came back with 50 compelling risks - including homogenisation of art, cognitive loss in human learners, amplification of bias and loss of cultural heritage. Do the positives outweigh such a worrying collection of negatives?

Read more…

Unlocking creative potential: Strategies to unlock creative thinking

This report explores practical, evidence-based tools to boost imaginative thinking: Meditation practices like open monitoring, focused attention, and non-sleep deep rest (NSDR), as well as how dopamine levels, influenced by mood, diet, and supplements, can foster creativity.

It also covers tips on behavioural and nutritional strategies to enhance dopamine. And how movement, storytelling, and certain substances can spark creativity.

Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, these strategies aim to expand your imaginative capabilities for various aspects of life.

Read more…

The link between great thinking and obsessive walking

Maybe it’s not artificial intelligence we need to improve our thinking, but more strolling? From the works of Charles Darwin to Virginia Woolf and Henry David Thoreau, the writer looks at the walking habits of some of history’s greatest writers.

Read more…

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