AI’s Influence on Human Creative Agency

Ryan Watkins and Eran Barak-Medina recently published AI’s Influence on Human Creative Agency in the Creativity Research Journal.

Abstract: Emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities are redefining roles traditionally assigned to humans or tools in numerous tasks, and thereby creating tensions in professions ranging from education and engineering, to design and film. As a result, we suggest now is the time for greater vitality in a professional dialogue and research agenda on how AI, especially Generative AI, affects human creative agency. While AI poses challenges to human creative agency, it also offers growth potential, demanding a balanced approach to its opportunities and risks. To bolster a professional dialogue, we propose a framework detailing three key attributes of AI’s impact on creative agency: whether AI is perceived as a competitor or a complement to human skills; AI’s perceived effectiveness and performance; and, whether the AI systems perform a high-stakes or a low-stakes function. We then propose AI literacy as a moderating influence on these attributes. Our aims for this framework are to (i) serve as a starting point for developing research-based strategies and tools that will allow AI to augment human creative agency, rather than diminish it, and (ii) provide a useful foundation for conversations between creativity researchers and AI developers.

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Ryan Watkins

Professor at George Washington University

I am a Professor with Human-Technology Collaboration and Educational Technology programs at George Washington University in Washington DC. I have written 12 books and more than 100 articles, and I co-host of the Parsing Science podcast where scientists tell the stories behind their research. I am also the developer of the WeShareScience.com online platform for sharing research videos, and SciencePods.com where researchers can create free podcasts about their science. My research interests include human interactions with intelligent machines, needs, needs assessments, and instructional design.