The most significant difference that sets apart machines and humans is the ability to create and be creative. However, the modernised “generative” AI (artificial intelligence) tools are raising numerous questions regarding the creative capabilities of machines compared to humans.
Since AI-powered apps can do more tasks seamlessly without human intervention, this has raised concerns about whether they can fully replace human beings. AI is replacing or competing with humans in assembly, manufacturing, and other industries as it is more productive and efficient. However, is that likely to happen in creative spaces? In this article, we deeply explore the intersection of human creativity and AI.
What is Creativity?
The best way to tackle this complex subject is by first understanding this term. Creativity is defined as the process of using original ideas or imagination to come up with something unique.
Imagination offers a great starting point in investigating the intersection between human creativity and AI since it is the beginning of creativity. Usually, the first creation occurs in the mind before fully manifesting physically. This initial creation is the imagination phase. The human brain functions mysteriously and involves a thought process to create something of value, significance, or meaning.
Creativity is also distinguished by originality. Copying another person’s article, drawing, poem, or painting isn’t creativity unless you add a unique touch or your own interpretation. For instance, human ideas emanate from connecting what we hear, feel, learn or see. With these connections, we can create an opinion or idea that resonates with other people.
Generative AI
This form of AI uses machine learning algorithms (ML) that study large amounts of data to develop a set of rules that enable it to create a new thing through an input known as a prompt. For instance, after an ML algorithm trains on 1000 descriptions about the sun, it can set rules that determine the probability that the sun is yellow, 100 million miles away, big, and hot. Using these rules, it can describe the sun using text. Graphical generative AI algorithms will also use the same principle to create sun-inspired music or even draw the sun.
OpenAI’s GPT-4 is one of the most cutting-edge generative AI tools that has been trained in over one trillion parameters. The details regarding how it is trained haven’t been publicized, but it likely knows more about the sun than in our example above. As a result, the GPT4 can create more sophisticated, in-depth, detailed, and highly creative content.
Generative AI has also enhanced gaming by making it more immersive. Modern games are pretty sophisticated and challenging due to AI-powered non-player characters. ML algorithms have been used to train these non-player characters to enable them to think and make moves just like humans. For instance, online casinos allow gamers to play mind-intensive games like poker with AI-powered computers that can beat a pro. Many licensed UK casinos also use generative AI to spice up their games. For example, the Crazy Star Casino review covers different games variants that can offer plenty of enjoyment. Most of these games employ AI in their gameplay to enhance the gaming experience.
Can Computers Generate New Ideas?
To get a decisive answer, we must remember that despite the impressiveness of computer-generated artwork or poetry, it is created from massive data blocks that were used in training it. Therefore, it is incapable of having original thoughts and its own ideas. One might argue that people also come up with original ideas based on what they have seen, learned, read, heard, or experienced. However, humans can filter what they have acquired through their experiences, feelings, perceptions, and beliefs to generate a unique concept.
On the other hand, computer-generated ideas are majorly mechanized and probabilistic, and this makes them lack a sense of humanity. For example, ChatGPT Plus knows the sun emits light and heat. However, it doesn’t have memories, feelings, and personal thoughts about it in the same way as humans do.
The Illusion of Creativity
Machine creativity is an emulation or an illusion, while human creativity is original as it stems from imagination, which involves a thorough thought process. After closely looking at creativity from this angle, you will discover that machine creativity is incapacitated without human creativity. As a result, people are responsible for creating the data for training seemingly brilliant machines like GPT-4 and Dall-E.
Nonetheless, generative artificial intelligence is undoubtedly the closest we have seen to machines being creative and arguing cases while abiding by rules created by its training data. Generative AI technology is still undergoing advancements, and we cannot rule out its ability to be more creative in the future. On the other hand, human creativity will likely change as we try to find better ways to express ourselves at a deeper level beyond the capability of machines. This change is good as it will pave the way for new ideas regarding our humanity and its potential.
Final Thoughts
Inventions like ChatGPT4 prove that machines have come a long way, as they can create artwork, content, and poems, using machine-learning algorithms. However, their creativity is limited by the amount of training data it processes. For instance, ChatGPT4 cannot create the latest content unless its training data is updated.
Since machines lack imagination capabilities, they cannot create original ideas. Moreover, as they don’t experience life, their ideas are limited to probabilities without a touch of humanity. In situations where their training data is inaccurate, then their creativity won’t be of any value to people. Therefore, it seems machine creativity will continue relying on human creativity to remain relevant.
