The Essence of Creativity in the Age of AI: A Reflection on Tools and Vision

Abby Dougherty
3 min readJun 27, 2024

Today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape presents artificial intelligence (AI) as a powerful tool for creators across various fields. From writing to visual art, AI assists in producing high-quality, innovative content. However, this sparks a debate about AI’s role in creative processes and whether users should disclose its use. This blog post argues that the essence of creativity lies in the user’s ideas and input, regardless of the tools they employ. AI serves to realize or enhance the user’s vision, not as a separate entity that diminishes the user’s role.

Creativity Reflects the User

At the heart of every creative endeavor lies the individual’s unique vision and ideas. Whether crafting a compelling narrative, composing beautiful music, or designing an eye-catching graphic, the creator’s imagination and intent drive the process. Tools, from paintbrushes to word processors, have always been integral in translating these ideas into tangible forms. AI is just the latest addition to this long history of creative tools.

Let's invite more inclusion by allowing everyone to communicate in a way that best reflects their authentic voice.

AI can analyze vast amounts of data, generate suggestions, and even create entire…

--

--

Abby Dougherty

Abby Dougherty, PhD, loves to learn, and produce scholarship on relational-cultural theory, virtual reality, AI, and using mindfulness in counselor education.