AI & Creativity: Retain Your Edge, Amplify Your Impact

Is using AI cheating?

Does using AI grant the user an unfair advantage over others?

And more importantly, is it cheating you away of human creativity?

I use AI daily—whether Siri reading to me or Grammarly checking my spelling.

Is that cheating? Because without its help, you would not be reading what I wrote here.

Still, what we consider "AI" today is much broader than spellchecking and text-to-speech software.

New AI systems such as Chat GPT can do much more these days than mere spellcheck.

These new AI systems can write the whole essay for you, but at what cost? And who's paying?

I know.. I paid throughout university as these AI systems didn't hit the scene until my last year. And gosh, am I glad!

That gave me the space to learn the writing structure—I had no other choice back then!

Still, today.. I use these fancy AI systems every day (alongside the two previous "legacy" ones), and I must hold that they do not write for you.

They write with you!

Without lives of their own, they cannot compete with human creativity.

They cannot fake authenticity..

Without you, Chat GPT does not know what to write..

It does not have anything to say.

So, how does one learn to use AI to enter a writer partnership?

And how is that even helpful to your own creativity?

Key Obstacles: Unraveling The Dilemmas

So, what is AI exactly?

Does it have agency?

Is it an entity?

Or is it just reproducing things it has already seen (and isn't that what humans do, too)?

All these are great questions, ones still debated.

Because the truth is.. No one really knows.

That's the main problem..

AIs like Chat GPT are so new that no one knows what to make of them.

And new ones come out each and every day. Promising some new breakthroughs for human productivity!

In this very bleak economy, it can feel scary. For us and the institutions!

Like us, universities, governments, and employers are scratching their heads with this.

Some have business models that depend on them, while others have opposing motives.

Regardless of where anyone stands, there are a few clear things:

1. We don't know how to use it properly/to its maximum potential.

2. We don't know the ethics of using them on a personal or societal level.

3. We don't know what will be the next "revolutionary" AI, further clouding points 1 & 2.

This leaves us ALL in quite the pickle.

Think about it. You cannot avoid this fate, but you also cannot predict what will come of it.

Either we learn to use it in its infancy stage and grow alongside them, or risk being left behind, with untapped creative power left on the table.

Dealing with Doubts: Proactive Approaches

But how can AI relieve untapped human creative power?

Isn't it going to make us all lazy, uncreative beings?

Well, about 2000 years ago, the philosopher Plato, speaking through Socrates, argued against writing because it may have harmed our memory, a crucial human ability.

And if Plato would not have written that, it would have disappeared from our collective human memory.

In that way, writing has become a tool to enhance our memory, just like AI may become a tool to improve our creativity.

Others worry less about its impact on creativity because they are too caught up in worrying about whether it's cheating—and that they may get caught for using it.

If you use AI authentically as a partnership, I hold that it is not cheating.

It is not unethical to get guidance from a coach, YouTuber, book, or Google search.

Granted, if you try to have AI do all the work for you, you are not only cheating yourself but also actively sabotaging yourself.

AI doesn't write for you.

AI doesn't think for you.

AI writes and thinks WITH you..

You don't outsource your thinking. Remember that!

Maybe you are not good at technology and think, "I couldn't understand how to use it."

Well, this may come as a surprise, but AI is digitally awkward-proof!

Yea.. Indeed, it is the first time people can interact with a machine simply by chatting with it, an innate human ability—no fancy code needed!

If you can speak, you can use AI.

If you still don't believe me, you're just talking yourself out of it and, by extension, proving the point!

Unlocking Benefits: Amplifying Advantages

Alright, you are now considering using AI, but what will that provide you?

Well, it will give you more time—moving the grunt work out of the way and providing more time to be creative. So please concentrate on your strengths rather than allowing time-consuming tasks to detract from them.

Second, you could be learning more—by having our own personal tutor where we can validate and simplify ideas. True, we must be careful what we ask of AIs because they can fabricate information — a term coined "AI hallucinations."

Still, suppose you feed it with the information beforehand and have it explain it back to us. In that case, we mitigate the chances of AI hallucinations while actively working collaboratively with AI.

Thirdly, using AI now will enhance your readiness for the AI-dominated future. You better anticipate conversations about it with your next employer, making early exposure valuable!

Finally, for authenticity to be you, sound clearer and more confident. With AI alongside you, you can reach the end of your passion as it drives you up the last mile.

Once again, our objective isn't to outsource our thinking. Still, collectively, it's fair to assume we all recognize that fewer emails to address would free up more time for our creative endeavours.

Guided Steps: Turning Knowledge into Action

So, you're ready to warm up to your silicone counterpart and harness your ultimate creative potential?

Nice! Here's how I would go about starting your symbiosis journey between you and AI:

1. Do your research and learn about AI beyond the hype & fear—What is it all about, and how may it benefit your life?

2. Get creative on your own humanly abilities—What are you looking to create; make a plan or outline.

3. Go validate your ideas with AI—What might you have missed, and how can it be added to your plan/outline.

4. Profit from collaborative creativity—Tap into an infinite well of homegrown human creative agency!

Look at you! 

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