Artificial Intelligence: The Death of Creativity

History unfolds that since the inception of human civilization, society has been remained in flux due to human ideas and inventions. Despite prospects, every society has encountered immense challenges; nonetheless, the modern threats are quite abstruse and ubiquitous.  Artificial Intelligence (AI), being the milieu of the modern epoch, is making the human existence vulnerable, potentially diminishing the creativity and imagination of people. Noah Harari, an eminent modern historian, anticipates, AI will replace individuals in near future by declaring that the pre-existing humans will be the last generation which is driven by human conscious.

The term, artificial intelligence has become an important theme of social discourse for last few years; nevertheless, it has firstly defined by John McCarthy, a computer scientist in 1956, ‘machines that can perform tasks that are characteristic of human intelligence.’ In simple words, AI is an umbrella term which refers to the development and training of computer system to make it to think and perform various functions, such as: decision making, solving problems and so for so forth, just like human beings.  It is not an industry or a particular domain, perhaps, it enables various industries: scientific research, education, manufacturing, defence, politics and culture etc. Though AI shares positively in socio-economic development of the society, however, one cannot overlook the severity of its incumbent threats.

Scientists, policymakers and philosophers are of the view that the overdependence and multifaceted influence of AI on modern men is usurping their creative skills.

People are deemed as intellectually superior as other creatures for their ability to identify problems. The emergence of AI, notwithstanding, makes the notion sceptic. Various instances, in recent past have proved, AI is more accurate and swift than humans in the identification of problems. AI has predicted the March, 2022 up-rises in Sri Lanka, months before its happenings. Moreover, US security system, backed by AI technology, has also issued red alerts, before the visit of Nancy Pelosi, the US speaker, to Taiwan on August 2022: the Island has witnessed massive air strikes from the Chinese Air Force, later. Moreover, in health sector, it helps in figering out the cause of cancer and the recognition of blindness, better than physicians. These examples embark that human creativity is at risk, while locating any issue or concern due to the advancement of AI.

Apart from problem’s identification, AI has also profoundly, resolved the concerns. It has been noticed that the new algorithms have handled the intricacies and troubles, which are seemed beyond the human potential. For example, in 2016 the Google has revealed,  the cooling system of its central office, controlled by AI has reduced the cost by 40 percent than the pre-existing system, created by the best minds of the world. The United Nations anticipates, combating global warming and the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are seemed reality, because of the contribution of AI in policy implementation and better management. These revolutions are prudently denoting the jeopardization of human imagination.

Researches and theoretical approaches are deemed as the pivot to materialize human imagination into reality. Traditionally, scientists and scholars design scientific studies to invent new technologies and theories. The AI has changed the streak: without any due process of observation and experimentation, computing algorithms inculcate novel products and services. The discovery of Halicin, an antibiotic, in 2020 with the help of AI has proved a wonder for human beings, as the scientists have yet failed to invent it by conventional means. The reliance on AI tools in research and development limiting human role in scientific studies. The influence is not only akin to the field of research but also impedes human creativity in educational realm.

Human beings have always remained cautious about education, because of the indispensable role for individual and social development. To carry out the needs and demand of the age, authorities have reformed educational edifice in past. However, the role of individuals in designing the curriculum has been subdued, AI has taken over the responsibility. Governments across the global are designing their syllabus with the help of AI applications, which are proving more effective and adoptable. Khan Academy, a non-profit-able American educational organization has successfully introduced AI tutors- having opulent knowledge and interesting methods to grab students’ attentions, for various subjects. Moreover extensive use of Chat GPT by the students to furnish their assignments and to solve puzzles, overwhelmingly circumscribing the human cognitive potentials. These illustrations are reflecting the ubiquitous role AI in education, subsequently, making human creativity, vulnerable. 

Artificial Intelligence is also playing profound role in developing public opinion and political processes, which have used to be the responsibility of people-political leaders. Novel technological applications are using to promulgate political manifestation and policy measures, even the policies and slogans are formulated by digital tools. Data analysis, divisions of constituencies, evaluation of public pulses and options and the optimization of political campaigns are effectively accomplishing by the use of AI in modern democracies. America, to bring transparency and to ensure right information, regarding its 2024, presidential election, has initiated an AI driven centralized monitoring system TrustendInfo2024. Moreover, China has carried out reforms in its core Communist principles to make the system inclusive for AI developers. The inundating role of AI in politics is truly subsiding humans’ contribution and their intellectual share in political maneuvering and policy development.

Economic developments, traditionally has remained dependent on the creative abilities of individuals, to control the mode of production, means of production and also look after the market supply chain. In contemporary world, however, these responsibilities have taken over by AI industry, owing its better results and capabilities. Mustafa Suleiman, an AI developer anticipates in his seminal work, ‘The Coming Wave’ anticipates, AI industry will control the market, business operations and governmental services in near future. It develops an alarming situation and the world is quite ambiguous about the role of human in changing world, even the debate is ubiquitous, regarding the obsoleteness of the human creativity.

Talking about the security paradigm, AI has almost superseded human. Novelty in defence industry, strategic planning, upgradation of arsenals and more importantly, the narrative building, an important mean of the fifth generation war are primarily controlled by the new tach industry, once used to be in the hands of humans. Chris Miller, an American writer, has raised questions on the growing role of AI in states’ security by deeming microchips as ‘new oil’ in his master piece, ‘The Chip War’. The extraordinary developments are vitiating human wisdom and intellect, denoting that people are zombies in a digital world propelled by a lifeless algorithms. The influence is not only noticed in strategic domains but also redefining global economies.

Despite the profound role of AI in socio-political realm, a school of thought hitherto believes, AI is just a human brilliance, similar to all other inventions, without having any potential to subside human creativity. It does not have the ability to think or create by its own, rather imitate and reorganize the data and information given by the external source. Noam Chomsky, an eminent modern philosopher writes for the ‘New York Times’, human minds have great potential to operate with a limited amount of information. He rebukes AI, by calling it as ‘plagiarism software’ and a tool to avoid copyright laws. It is a healthy debate that yet needs to be ascribed, AI can think or not, but its increasing role in different walks of life has immensely usurpted humans’ inputds and their imagination.

To conclude, the significant contributions of AI in the creation and production of different things and ideas embark that it is the death of human ingenuity. Though in its initial stage AI has shown wonders in the identification of problems in different sectors and also recommending plausible solutions to resolve them. Moreover, AI has completely transformed the socio-political, economic and security paradigm of the modern era by overlooking the role of humans. Hence, It is sagacious to say that the contemporary society is the age of AI, and its further advancement will be a potential threat for human creativity.