Artificial Creativity and the AI Revolution
What if we already have the tool we need to end global poverty? Experts predict that generative artificial intelligence (AI) will have human-level intelligence by 2029 in a moment called the “singularity.” Seconds later it will be smarter than us and continue to learn exponentially faster than us. One week of human learning will equal 20,000 years of AI learning. In the words of Stephen Hawking:
“In short, the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which”
Before 2014, the general thinking was that automation would mostly impact blue-collar jobs that could be easily transitioned to machines and robots. It now appears that the rise of generative AI is going to dramatically impact knowledge workers as well, or individuals who “think for a living”.
What is Generative AI?
Generative AI is an artificial intelligence technology that uses algorithms and tons of data to produce various outputs. By inputting text, imagery, audio, and video these AI systems can be “trained” to provide human-like responses. The most commonly known generative AI tool is ChatGPT – which is now the fastest-growing consumer app in history.
Although AI has recently gone mainstream, it’s not brand-new. Generative AI was introduced in the 1960s in chatbots. But it wasn’t until 2014, with the introduction of generative adversarial networks, or GANs – a type of machine learning algorithm – that generative AI could create convincingly authentic images, videos, and audio of real people. AI experts say ChatGPT is just the beginning and we are now in a gold rush era of AI tools and resources.
Currently, AI is disrupting creative industries as we have seen with the recent Writers Guild of America strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike. Recent studies have even shown that AI is as creative as the top 1% of human thinkers.
Will AI really be more creative than humans?
In September 2023, 200 MBA students were pitted against a generative AI tool in a product/service idea competition at Wharton Business School. 400 ideas were evaluated for their market potential with student participants.
Human-generated ideas had an average purchase probability of 40%, GPT-4 had 47%, and GPT-4 trained specifically with good ideas scored 49%. This study highlights that ChatGPT is not only faster but also better at generating ideas with higher success in a market scenario.
What does this mean for us?
Generative AI tools are making it clear that knowledge workers and other white-collar employees are being affected more than initially predicted. Today we know that nearly every sector will be affected by generative AI.
For knowledge workers, research can be synthesized in seconds, and knowledge is more accessible than ever before. Beyond the tasks with the highest automation potential, including routine administrative tasks, data management, and record-keeping – surprisingly tasks related to communication, customer service, and language services are being automated just as quickly. Instead of replacing employees, AI will “change what type of work employees perform” – and allow us to do it better.
Executives estimate that 40% of their workforce will need to reskill due to implementing AI and automation over the next three years. This translates to 1.4 billion of the 3.4 billion people in the global workforce, according to World Bank statistics.
According to McKinsey, Generative AI will force 12 million job switches and automate away 30% of hours worked in the U.S. by 2030.
87% of executives expect job roles to be augmented, rather than replaced, by generative AI.
How is AI being used by those who “think for a living”?
IBM, Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and Salesforce are a few big players developing workplace AI tools. There’s no avoiding it, AI currently is and will continue to be a tool that knowledge workers use on a daily basis. In fact, the global AI market is expected to reach $1.59 trillion by 2030.
It has also become very clear that employees with AI will begin to replace employees without AI. The employee of tomorrow is prepared to be a lifelong learner, adapt rapidly, and have a desire to become a skilled prompt engineer. Using AI tools like ChatGPT has helped individuals understand how AI can assist them in countless, previously unimaginable areas of their work.
61% of employees say AI helps improve their work productivity.
89% of employees believe that AI could support them in up to half of their workload.
51% of employees believe AI helps them achieve a better work/life balance.
It’s all about execution.
Although we have some very exciting tools for ideation and creativity coming our way, as any entrepreneur knows, it’s all about execution. Execution is one area where we feel strongly the human touch cannot be replaced (at least not until we are building sentient autobots 🤖). Even if generative AI is producing the best solutions in the world, the reality is that humans will need to implement those solutions. And within that implementation, we know that the inertia of an organization, the resistance that inherently meets new ideas, the deeply entrenched status quo, and creativity biases, are not going to be overcome simply because the idea came from AI.
In 1879, leading scientific minds called Thomas Edison’s tinkering on the light bulb a “conspicuous failure.” In 1995, the internet was seen as a “a fad.” Due to the change new things bring, we tend to fear and avoid their uncertainty – which actually registers like an error neurologically in our brains.
There’s an imperative human element that we can’t forget. Innovation, after all, is not merely about producing ideas—it’s about understanding the nuances of human needs, the quirks of behavior, and the unspoken desires that drive us. It’s about the spark of creativity that ignites in a brainstorming session, the aha moment in the midst of ideation, and the subtle art of understanding the unsaid through a client's eyes. AI might generate ideas, but it can't replicate the empathetic connection that humans bring to the table. (ChatGPT wrote this paragraph.)
Generative AI has the potential to significantly augment human capabilities and creativity in the social sector. However, its ultimate impact will depend on how we leverage AI tools and execute the ideas they help us discover. Our challenge will be to execute those solutions as we confront the innate human biases, systematic forces, cultural elements, and the organizational realities of implementing new solutions.
Try some of the AI tools our team loves:
ChatGPT 4 - OpenAI’s most advanced system, producing safer and more useful responses
Claude 2 - a friendly, enthusiastic colleague or personal assistant
Bard AI - brainstorm ideas, spark creativity, and accelerate productivity
Google AI - available for select users and in development for scale
Microsoft Bing - your AI-powered copilot for the web
Ideogram - helping people be more creative
Krisp - improve the productivity of online meetings
AskHumans - scale 1:1 conversational feedback
Zapier - workflow automation for everyone
