Does it matter? Is it important to you? What’s the difference?
We, humans, have lived with the belief that creativity was one of the many characteristics that set human beings apart. For centuries creativity has been attributed to the mysterious workings of the human mind and heart but now the rapid advancements of technology and, in particular, of artificial intelligence, the boundaries between man and machine are becoming increasingly blurred.
AI can generate images, music, literature and – yes – art. However, can machines really replace human creativity or is it a mere tool to enhance it? AI-generated art has gained popularity in the last few years, with notable examples being “The Next Rembrandt” and “NFT Art”. In both cases, an AI system was used to create art that was visually indistinguishable from an original, albeit perhaps lacking the emotional depth, spontaneity and originality of a human-generated art. Similarly, AI-generated music has also come a long way, with popular music streaming services like Spotify using algorithms to generate personalized playlists based on the user’s listening history.
AI systems are trained on existing datasets and generate new content based on those datasets. Thus its output tends to be similar to the input data, whereas human creativity stems from our personal experiences, emotions and cultural background. These provide us with a unique perspective, making us capable of creating art that is new and original.
In conclusion, AI can undoubtedly assist and enhance human creativity. An algorithm can generate new ideas, make complex processes easier but, at the end of the day, it is only a tool and human creativity is more than just a set of skills and techniques. Real human creativity stems from our emotions and unique perspectives, making it something that cannot be replicated by a machine. Yet.