Seven Reasons Why AI Can Fail You

This article delves into the reasons why creativity is an area where AI cannot surpass the human mind, emphasising that every individual’s unique experiences and backgrounds influence their creativity, rather than algorithms processing information from a common pool.

Everyone goes through different life experiences, which inform their creative thinking; people have different cultural and educational backgrounds, life circumstances and social upbringing. If I were an artist, I would probably draw inspiration from village life, as I spent my childhood in a village; the skyscrapers of New York could inspire someone else. AI cannot replicate this diversity of perspectives.

The interplay of feelings enables people to connect the unconnected. Furthermore, people have different emotional highs and lows. One may experience happiness or sadness on a slight provocation, while another may not experience even a tenth of it on a stimulus twice as strong. This is what we call an emotional pitch. It is said that the higher the emotional pitch, the greater the creative ability. AI does not even have the ability to experience emotions.

AI is driven by algorithms that process existing data to create outputs and does not have the ability to think outside these predefined boundaries. AI can generate art mimicking Picasso’s style but lacks the originality that comes from a complex interplay of multitudes of personal experiences.

AI finds the contextual nuances that are crucial for creativity challenging. I experimented with OpenAI’s GPT-3 to write a ghazal in Mirza Ghalib’s style. It did and at first glance, I thought, wow! But, when I read it again, not only did it contain several mistakes, but the content didn’t make much sense; the multiple layers of meanings that you find in Ghalib’s poetry were missing. AI can produce technically correct pieces but fails to convey deeper meanings inherent in human-created pieces of art.

Nearly every creative effort involves some risk as one ventures into the unknown to explore unconventional. Humans can fail while creating a piece, but AI systems are programmed to be risk-averse, limiting their ability to innovate.

Humans collaborate and build on each other’s ideas. They brainstorm together, engage in discussions, and provide feedback to their colleagues, improving their ideas. They encourage one another to refine their thoughts, push boundaries, and generate an output that is often better than the sum of individual efforts. AI algorithms lack this ability. In collaborative environments, the ability for risk increases because of shared ownership, a condition that encourages ideation and innovation. Although AI can offer collaborative environments via project management tools, it cannot participate in the give-and-take that defines human interaction. Advertising agencies should focus on creating environments that nurture creativity through collaboration and diversity rather than relying solely on technological solutions for innovation.

The model of human learning is different from AI. Senior people mentor their junior counterparts, transferring knowledge through personal stories and insights that shape understanding – a jobthat AI fails at.

AI is not our competitor and we should embrace it as a tool to assist us in performing repetitive tasks. At the same time, recognising the distinct advantages of human creativity will be crucial for future advancements across various fields – from art to science to business innovation.

Khalid Naseem is a brand and marketing strategy consultantand freelance writer. khalid.naseem.795@gmail.com