Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Creativity in the age of generative AI

Nature Human Behaviour volume 7, pages 1836–1838 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

State-of-the-art generative artificial intelligence (AI) can now match humans in creativity tests and is at the cusp of augmenting the creativity of every knowledge worker on Earth. We argue that enriching generative AI applications with insights from the psychological sciences may revolutionize our understanding of creativity and lead to increasing synergies in human–AI hybrid intelligent interfaces.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Rezwana, J. & Maher, M. L. ACM Trans. Comput. Hum. Interact. 30, 67 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Vinchon, F. et al. J. Creat. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.597 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wingström, R., Hautala, J. & Lundman, R. Creat. Res. J. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2022.2107850 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kelly, S. D. A philosopher argues that an AI can’t be an artist. MIT Technol. Rev., https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/21/239489/a-philosopher-argues-that-an-ai-can-never-be-an-artist/ (21 February 2019).

  5. Kaufman, J. C. The Creativity Advantage (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2023).

  6. Rafner, J. et al. Morals & Machines 1, 24–39 (2021).

  7. Shneiderman, B. Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interact. 36, 495–504 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Organisciak, P., Acar, S., Dumas, D. & Berthiaume, K. Think. Skills Creativity 49, 101356 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Patterson, J. D., Barbot, B., Lloyd-Cox, J. & Beaty, R. Preprint at PsyArXiv, https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/t63dm (2022).

  10. Beaty, R. E. & Kenett, Y. N. Trends Cogn. Sci. 27, 671–683 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Kaufman, J. C. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 14, 189–203 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Rafner, J. et al. Creat. Res. J. 34, 28–54 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Mao, Y., Rafner, J., Wang, Y. & Sherson, J. in HHAI 2023: Augmenting Human Intellect (eds. Lukowicz, P. et al.) 108–123 (IOS Press, 2023).

  14. Rafner, J. et al. in CHI PLAY ’20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 Annual Symposium on Computer–Human Interaction in Play, 340–344 (ACM, 2020).

  15. Seibt, J., Vestergaard, C., & Damholdt, M. F. in Culturally Sustainable Social Robotics (eds Nørskov, M. et al.) 51–67 (IOS Press, 2020).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Hybrid Intelligence, Dept. of Management, School of Business and Social Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Janet Rafner & Jacob Sherson

  2. Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Janet Rafner

  3. Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Roger E. Beaty

  4. Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    James C. Kaufman

  5. LaPEA, Université Paris Cité and Univ Gustave Eiffel, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Todd Lubart

Authors
  1. Janet Rafner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Roger E. Beaty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James C. Kaufman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Todd Lubart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jacob Sherson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jacob Sherson.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rafner, J., Beaty, R.E., Kaufman, J.C. et al. Creativity in the age of generative AI. Nat Hum Behav 7, 1836–1838 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01751-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01751-1

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing