The study found that people with lower creativity metrics, who used AI-generated ideas, scored higher on all evaluation metrics. However, those with high creativity metrics saw little to no benefit, or even worse ratings, when using AI. The researchers also found that access to AI made the stories more similar and less varied as a group, raising concerns about a potential loss of collective novelty if AI is widely adopted for creative tasks.
Key takeaways:
- A new study by researchers Anil Doshi and Oliver Hauser found that AI can help less naturally creative people write more original short stories, but it can dampen the creativity of the group as a whole.
- The study involved hundreds of people writing short stories, with some given the opportunity to consult AI for story ideas. The stories were then evaluated on novelty, usefulness, and emotional enjoyment.
- People with lower creativity metrics saw the largest gains when given the opportunity to use a generated story idea. However, those who scored highly on the creativity metric saw little to no benefit, or even worse ratings, when using AI.
- The researchers also found that access to generative AI caused the resulting stories to be more similar and less varied as a group, leading to concerns about a potential loss of collective novelty if AI is adopted more widely for creative tasks.