In recent times, technology has gotten pretty good at mimicking certain aspects of human intellect. This is all thanks to the new technological hype, Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Computer advancement and massive data storage fuels the AI boom; now used in everything from everyday apps and finance to complex military and security operations. Of course, the creative industry is no exception.

Evidently, AI has become part of the creative sector, providing tools that help generate ideas, and enhance content in all aspects of the arts. However, with the abundance of AI-generated creative content, the question of AI’s role within the industry remains. Is AI more of a help or a hindrance? Are they designed to improve our work or eventually replace us?

How Using AI and Automatic Equipment Affects Creative Jobs

AI and the use of automatic equipment in creative jobs spark both worry and hope. On one hand, their potential to replace human jobs, especially in fields like graphic design, film editing, writing, and music production, where AI can excel, is a major concern. Yet, this creates new opportunities for humans and AI to work together. With AI handling the routine tasks, human creators can concentrate on the more creative and emotional aspects of their work.

Creative Writing with AI

AI in storytelling offers a new way to develop narratives, using data analysis to predict audience tastes and create stories for various groups. This technology not only broadens storytelling possibilities but also makes content creation more accessible, thus better representing diverse themes and narratives.

How AI is Transforming Creative Industries

Since AI joined the creative world, it’s been helping in many aspects of work. Needless to say, creatives have benefited from AI’s assistance with:

• Content creation  

Generating original content with AI is perhaps the biggest threat to creative jobs. Still, should this be a cause for concern for creative professionals?

Over the years, case studies have shown how AI and creativity can combine in scriptwriting and storytelling. For instance, in 2016, New York University’s AI, Benjamin, created the script for the short film Sunspring. The Guardian described this movie as having a nonsensical script and concluded that “The robots might be coming, but screenwriters have nothing to fear for the time being.” This might explain why Benjamin’s use in the sequel, It’s No Game, in 2017 was limited to specific sections, partnering with humans for a smoother, more natural storyline. Still, in 2018, Benjamin created a new film, Zone Out. This film’s creation in just 48 hours showcases AI’s unmatched productive potential when compared to humans. Nevertheless, Benjamin’s creation was far from perfect with issues like positioning a man’s mouth on a woman’s face.

A man’s mouth replaces the woman’s face in this ‘Zone Out’ screenshot.

• Content enhancement 

Creatives can use AI to improve creative work, especially with mass-produced content, that is often unsuitable for its intended audience. This includes audio, images, documents, and videos. Basically, AI creative tools, such as ProWritingAid, can improve quality and management.

• Information analysis

AI uses data analysis to boost productivity in the creative sector. This is because they are skilled in handling and learning from huge amounts of data. By studying this information, AI can accurately classify content and predict outcomes, reaching a wider audience.

No doubt, data analysis is where humans fall short, but could it lead to AI creative jobs?

• Extracting and improving information

AI’s deep learning is great at analyzing data and finding information. They even change or improve the information pulled from the signal. For instance, they could make a picture clearer by combining different kinds of data or turning real animal movements into animation. Basically, AI helps explain things, clarifies what things mean, and finds new ways to show hidden information.

• Compressing data

To get the best video quality without using lots of data, creatives such as content creators need to use smart compression. AI can make this possible. It allows creative fields to use fewer data without losing the quality of their work. 

Can AI do Creative Writing

AI use in creative industries has exploded over the last few years. In fact, research on AI in creative industries has grown by over 500% in many countries. This data shows that AI is used more in gaming, immersive tech, advertising, and marketing than in other creative fields. The reason is that creative work demands different skills and innovation than routine tasks.

Though AI thrives on uniform data, creative thinking uses the human imagination to create original ideas beyond typical patterns. Basically, the life experience of creative people allows them to think differently and ask insightful questions that AI struggles to answer. Presently, AI techniques don’t accurately reflect how the human brain, or its components, function since people learn using a mix of their genes, life experience, and mistakes. This means it is extremely difficult for an AI to create emotional pieces like The Daily Chaos of an Anxious Life and Done with it.

Early AI in creative fields struggled because the technology just wasn’t ready. It also suffered because of the assumption that AI would imitate human behavior. However, according to a recent survey, 75% of artists in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan consider using AI for tasks like image searching and editing. This proves that the community widely accepts AI creative tools, knowing that current AI is mainly designed for specific tasks where it assists people.

Conclusion: What AI Means for Creative Writing

While creatives once dismissed AI, it’s now gaining popularity. This may be because AI’s current capabilities don’t threaten human dominance in creative fields. AI cannot generate content based on lived experiences, emotions, or genetics. However, it can help the industry by doing other tasks, which boosts productivity and improves quality. These tasks include content creation, content enhancement, information analysis, extracting and improving information, and compressing data.

Even though AI and automation are causing some mixed feelings, it’s exciting to think about humans and AI working together in creative fields. Creative writing is becoming more accessible thanks to AI’s role in developing narratives. Therefore, AI is a beneficial tool for creative writing. However, will AI always be an ally? That question remains unanswered.

“AI is not about replacing us, but making us better versions of ourselves.” 

Rana el Kaliouby

References

Anantrasirichai, N., & Bull, D. (2022). Artificial intelligence in the creative industries: a review. Artificial Intelligence Review, 55, 589–656. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-021-10039-7.

Xue, F. (2024). AI integration in creative industries: Challenges and opportunities. Applied and Computational Engineering,104,21-27.

(2016). This is what happens when an AI-written screenplay is made into a film. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/10/artificial-intelligence-screenplay-sunspring-silicon-valley-thomas-middleditch-ai.