CREATIVITY IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

The rapid evolution of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has challenged human creativity, shifting the discourse surrounding AI from technical feasibility toward the redefinition of conceptual frameworks. This study investigates the attitudes of full-time university students toward AI creativity through the theoretical lens of Margaret Boden’s computational creativity framework, which distinguishes between combinatorial, exploratory, and transformational creativity. Utilizing a quantitative approach, survey data from 129 respondents were analyzed to explore how individuals perceive the "novelty" generated by artificial intelligence. The sample demonstrated a clear divide, with 70.5% considering AI to be creative, while 29.5% remained skeptical. To examine the differences in opinion between the two groups, a non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test was conducted. The results revealed highly significant differences (p < 0.001) regarding AI's capacity to generate entirely new ideas and its similarity to human creativity, aligning skeptics with the rejection of Boden’s transformational tier of creativity. Concurrently, no significant differences were found regarding the perception of AI’s technical limitations (p = 0.124) and its reliance on trained data (p = 0.069), indicating a universal consensus on the data-driven nature of machine processes. These findings suggest that the polarization among students stems from differing expectations of creative tiers rather than a misunderstanding of technology, highlighting the emergence of a hybrid, co-creative paradigm.