I mean the way it takes your words and turns them into pictures almost immediately, or how you put in a few words and it will give you an outline for a presentation. Generative AI is pretty astonishing, especially when you first start using it. It does seem like magic, or like having a really amazing copy or design partner.

My feeling is that while it’s generating text, images, code, whatever – it’s also generating the perception of creativity. Because this is how we understand the creative process, turning a few words or thoughts into something real. Something you can see or hear or feel. The reality is that it’s (very quickly) digging through it’s attic to find what it thinks your asking for, and then showing it to you.

The creativity comes 100% from you — your prompting, your editing and reworking of what you get, and what you ultimately do with the output. How you remix it, or even how you use it as an example of what you DON’T want. The AI is just a conduit - another tool like Photoshop, Word or even a pencil.

The invention of the typewriter didn’t make writing obsolete. It made it easier, and allowed more people to tell their stories. Because tools evolve to make your work easier. Just like what’s happening now. The typewriter isn’t the one telling the story, and neither is AI.

As we invite robots into our working lives (or just grudgingly accept they are there) we need to set up firm guidelines about how we work, who is in charge, and how we use what we create with them. And never forget that a robot can’t create authentic, meaningful connections. That’s your job, human.