Is AI Hijacking our Creativity

Letters to a friend #29 - Thoughts on AI and Creativity from a Non-tech worker

Dear Friend,

Technology has always been about streamlining our lives. Google Maps has made knowing directions obsolete, phones have taken away the need to memorize phone numbers, and soon, self-driving cars will make it so driving becomes a thing of the past. But now with AI integrating into our daily lives, I wonder if we will streamline too much?

When I tell people I write, they often assume I have ChatGPT do the bulk of it, and then I just curate it into my own voice. And while that isn’t the case, I do use it for flow, edits, and even thumbnails. In a lot of ways, I’ve let AI take over parts of the creative process. In fact, the first thing you interact with on my page is touched by AI.

I found the best use of utilizing AI is as a creative partner, helping flesh out grammar and flow, filling in the gaps, and helping you better tell your stories. Even this takes away some of the creative process, but it preserves your core ideas. It’s like having a really good editor or collaborator who tightens your vision without replacing it.

However, that tension’s been on my mind lately, especially after listening to a conversation between Ezra Klein and David Perell on How I Write This. Ezra talked about how you can build a story from just an idea, but once AI gets involved, even as a starting point, it frames your thinking. Once a layout is given to you, it’s hard to break out of it. Any idea you originally had gets constrained by the framework of the technology.

A good analogy is GPS. While there may be multiple ways to get to a location, once you have a route laid out, you're more likely to follow it. In a similar vein, creativity is being streamlined. The number of possibilities shrinks to whatever box was generated.

Many creatives say that AI will outcompete those who don’t use it, but that those who treat it as an editor rather than a blueprint will outperform those who rely on it entirely. And while I get that, a part of me is still conflicted. There are conflicting emotions between the accessibility AI provides and the way it chips away at the beauty of the creative process.

I want people to create freely and express themselves fully. And while I do believe technology can enhance that, I also fear it might slowly discourage people from even trying. Like most things, the AI revolution will empower the curious and stifle the passive.

The only question is: how big is that tradeoff?

That’s all for now; I hope your week was fantastic and that this helped you dive a little deeper beneath the surface!

Best,

Yusuf Malik