There is joy in creation. People seek the opportunity to create art, regardless of their skill level, and infuse their feelings and experiences in their art. As Professor Holly Case (Brown University) noted at the Academy’s recent discussion What is Creativity in the Age of AI?, the feelings and experiences manifested in human-created art are important to how we interact with it.
Moderated by author Joanna Scott (University of Rochester), this event brought historian Holly Case and author Meghan O’Gieblyn together to explore how relationships with creativity have changed with the advancement of technology, specifically AI. Building on the Academy’s cross-disciplinary work in artificial intelligence (AI), this panel sought to address questions of what it means to be creative when technology helps generate one’s work, how AI-generated work changes the way we interact with art, and what role artists have in society if technology becomes a new source for art. These questions are becoming increasingly relevant as AI increasingly enables individuals to create images, videos, even entire novels.
Generative AI is perceived as a tool that democratizes creativity— it allows anyone to produce art without ever picking up a paintbrush or a pencil. O’Gieblyn did not dispute this idea but did note that using AI removes the pleasure of discovery, the process by which one learns and grows as an artist by testing new techniques and ideas. She also argued that while AI can make a skillset widely available, it can also isolate individuals from creative communities. This is reflected in poetry; a University of Pittsburgh study found that non-experts preferred simplistic AI-generated programs to complex human-created ones which are lauded by poetry experts.
How can art and the value of learning artistic craft be preserved if AI is fracturing creative communities? Case pointed out that implementing community-developed rules around the use of AI could reduce this effect in art. Allowing the community to determine what elements of craft are valuable and how to use AI in art may even lead to preserving art and cultural memory, as technology can have positive impacts on society.
As generative AI use expands across artistic fields, Scott, Case, and O’Gieblyn all agree that more discussion is needed. In particular, cross-disciplinary dialogues are needed to truly understand this technology’s role in creative endeavors. Their words underscore the importance of the Academy’s efforts to bring together experts across fields to address complex questions. Both Scott and Case are part of the Academy’s cross-disciplinary AI work, contributing to an upcoming volume of Daedalus about AI and identity. Scott also serves as co-editor of this volume, with Daniela Rus (MIT).
This event was part of the Academy’s Science Horizons initiative, a series of activities centered on ambitious, far-reaching questions. This initial question, focused on questions around AI and identity, will conclude with the Fall 2026 Daedalus volume about AI and identity.
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