Is artificial intelligence more creative than humans?

ChatGPT and the Divergent Association Task

Abstract

A fundamental premise of the future of work is that AI will replace people in many cognitive and physical tasks, leaving creativity as a core, human 21st century skill. However, the recent launch of generative AI (especially ChatGPT) has seen many claims that AI is creative. If true, then the foundation of future human work, and education, is under threat. To examine claims of AI creativity, this research applied a test of verbal divergent thinking – the Divergent Association Task – to two versions of ChatGPT (GPT3.5 and GPT4). The results are reported and compared to a large human baseline. While both forms of ChatGPT show a capacity for verbal divergent production that exceeds human means, a range of factors call into question the “creativity” of generative AI.

LIFT Learning: Could AI replicate your creativity? Engage with Professor David Cropley as he discusses the rise of ChatGPT and its ability to “think” creatively at this article’s companion LIFT Learning site. Professor Cropley explains the process of divergent thinking as a measure of creativity and outlines why your creative role is probably still safe for now. The LIFT Learning site is available at https://lift.c3l.ai/courses/course-v1:LEARNINGLETTERS+0113+2023