AI's impact on creativity: Does it foster mediocrity, conformity? Here's how it changes our approach to work

Artificial Intelligence (AI) started as an effort to mimic how the human brain works. Now, there’s a question of whether it’s changing the way we think and act in our everyday lives. Just like the Industrial Revolution reduced the need for physical labor, some experts believe that AI might be leading to a shift in how we think, learn, and create. Wolfgang Messner, a professor at the University of South Carolina, studies how AI is being used in business around the world. He points out that this technology is changing how students, workers, and artists approach their work. For example, graphic designers can use AI to quickly generate different logo options for their clients. Marketers can create AI-generated profiles to see how potential customers might react to advertisements. Programmers have AI tools that help them write code, and students can use AI to draft essays quickly, while teachers use similar tools to give feedback.

The impact of these changes is significant on both the economy and culture. Messner raises important questions about what happens to people who rely heavily on AI. If a writer no longer struggles to find the perfect words, or if a designer doesn’t need to sketch multiple ideas before settling on one, will they lose important skills over time? It’s similar to how using GPS can make people less adept at navigation skills. 

As AI becomes more common, it’s essential to think about how we can keep creativity and critical thinking alive in this new age filled with advanced technology.

Hints from the Industrial Revolution

Messner believes that humanity has faced similar challenges in the past. During the Industrial Revolution, traditional handcrafting was replaced by machine production. This shift allowed items like shoes, cars, and food to be made quickly and uniformly, but it also made them less unique and personal. Craftsmanship became something rare and often seen as a luxury or a way to push back against the changes.

Now, Messner warns that we might be heading down a similar path with the rise of generative AI, which can create content quickly. People might start to equate speed with quality and think that being productive means creating something original. The real danger isn’t just that AI might not meet our expectations, but that we might become so used to its outputs that we accept mediocrity as normal. When everything is produced rapidly, easily, and is “good enough,” Messner says we risk losing the depth, creativity, and richness that make truly exceptional work special.

The rise of average-quality AI content

Messner says even though it's called artificial intelligence, AI doesn't really "think" like humans do. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini analyse huge amounts of text and images created by people, often taken from the internet without permission or context. These tools predict what words or images are likely to come next based on patterns they’ve seen before.

In simple terms, they act like mirrors that reflect back what humans have created, rearranging and mixing it up, but usually sticking to familiar ideas. This is partly what makes them so effective.

Messner says think about all the emails we send, the presentations made by consultants, and the ads we see online. Much of this content follows similar structures and styles because it’s been done many times before. 

Generative AI is particularly good at creating content that sounds decent—like lists, summaries, advertisements, and press releases—which seem human-made but lack true creativity. It works best in situations where being a little original isn't necessary, and "good enough" content is all that’s needed.

How AI can boost – and limit – creativity

In our increasingly formulaic content world, AI can actually be quite helpful. Messner shared that researchers in some experiments, asked people to tackle different creative challenges. Those who used generative AI to help them came up with ideas that were generally more imaginative compared to those who either searched the web or worked without any tools. This shows that AI can indeed enhance our creativity.

However, there’s an important catch: when people rely too much on AI for brainstorming, the variety of ideas they produce tends to shrink. Having a wide range of ideas is essential for making significant creative advances, but AI often leads users toward safe, predictable options instead of encouraging wild and unconventional thoughts.

Messner also pointed out that AI often reflects the perspectives of wealthy, English-speaking countries, which limits the diverse ideas it can produce. This bias in AI can further narrow the creativity it sparks.

There's also a worrying element to consider: just short interactions with AI can change how we think about problems and find solutions. In one experiment, participants used AI to help them diagnose medical issues, but the AI gave some of them incorrect suggestions. Even after they stopped using the AI, those participants continued making mistakes in their own decisions because they unconsciously adopted the AI’s biases.

What starts as a helpful tool can become a cycle that lessens our originality—not because AI produces poor content, but because it quietly confines the range of our human creativity.

Understanding the Cognitive Revolution

According to Messner, true creativity and innovation aren’t just about mixing things up from the past; they involve fresh ideas, thinking across different fields, and real-life experiences—qualities that artificial intelligence (AI) can't truly replicate. While AI can provide quick summaries, decent designs, or okay scripts, it often lacks the ability to create something truly original. Instead, it risks drowning genuine creativity in a flood of similar, formulaic content.

According to Messner, the challenge we face isn't just about technology—it's also about our culture. He says need to think carefully about how to protect the unique value of human creativity in this age of synthetic content.

Messner draws a parallel with the industrial revolution. Back then, machines replaced many jobs but also led to new types of work, education, and overall prosperity. Similarly, while AI might take over some mental tasks, it might also open doors to new ways of thinking and creativity. AI could even take on tasks like inventing new methods or setting standards to judge its own creations.

This transformation is just beginning. Each new generation of AI will create things that once seemed like science fiction. It’s up to professionals, teachers, and policymakers to guide this cognitive revolution purposefully. 

Messner raises an important question: Will this lead to a time of great thinking and creativity, or will it make people depend on others? Will we see a revival of human imagination, or will it slowly fade away? Right now, we’re not sure what the answer is.

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