I sat down with Guilherme, one of our brilliant founding ML engineers at Slingshot, to discuss a question we get a lot: "Can AI be creative?" Here are some key takeaways from our conversation, packed with some unfiltered thoughts. You can get a taste below, or if you're interested in the full conversation, you can check it out here!
Can AI be creative?
Creativity Matters: It’s something we explicitly hire for, and it may become a metric to evaluate AI models in the future.
Plagiarizing vs. Reshuffling the Deck
If I write a poem by copy-pasting from existing poems with minor changes - that’s not creative. But if I combine existing ideas, concepts, and styles - I can create novel content.
Is AI creativity just a matter of reshuffling a deck of cards (ideas)?
Novelty vs Randomness
Creativity may involve filtering randomness through a lens of aesthetic judgment.
Randomness probably isn't as crucial as we think. What we value is novelty, not randomness.
Determinism may actually be a pre-condition to creativity.
Cross-domain Inspiration
If a model incorporates insights from unrelated domains, like an architecture diagram into a poem, that may indicate creativity.
Is Creativity in Process or Result?
The impact of creativity sometimes depends on its process
AI can be creative in its results, but not in its process
If creativity lies in the process, it might not be what we value.
Does creativity require intent?
Models don’t choose to be creative - they only activate when a forward pass is explicitly called.
If creativity depends on intent, would an “always-on” AI agent be considered creative?
This line of reasoning conflates consciousness and intelligence. AI might be intelligent but not conscious, lacking the 'inspiration' humans have.
Key Takeaways:
On AI & Creativity: There's no reason to believe AI can't be creative if creativity lies in the result.
Role of Randomness: Perhaps overrated. The true value might lie in novelty.
Cross-Domain Inspiration: This is a potential indicator of AI creativity.
Process vs. Result: If creativity is part of the result, AI stands a chance at being creative.
Determinism & Free Will: Being deterministic might not negate the possibility of being creative.
I'd say we're leaning towards the idea that AI can be creative in results but not necessarily in process—mainly because they lack intent and inspiration. Whether that's a limitation or just a different kind of creativity—well, that's up for debate.
For the full conversation, check out our recorded discussion here. This is still very much an open question and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to weigh in!