AI

Can AI Make You a Better Writer? Yes, But Mainly If You Lack Creativity

15 July 2024

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Zaker Adham

A recent study by researchers at University College London and the University of Exeter found that AI can help improve creative writing, especially for individuals who aren't naturally creative writers.

The experiment, published in Science Advances, explored how AI could influence creativity in writing short stories. Participants were divided into groups: one wrote independently, another used GPT-4 for story ideas and sentences, and a third received up to five story starters from the AI.

Before writing, participants' creativity was assessed using a word-production task commonly employed in academic settings. After completing their stories, an independent panel rated them based on novelty, enjoyment, and potential for publication.

Interestingly, those with lower creativity scores saw the most significant improvement when using AI. The more AI-generated options they received, the better their stories scored. Conversely, highly creative individuals did not benefit from AI assistance, and in some cases, their scores were lower.

Additionally, while AI-assisted stories were generally rated higher, they tended to be more similar to one another. "These results highlight an increase in individual creativity but pose a risk to collective novelty," the researchers noted. "If the publishing industry embraces more AI-generated stories, our findings suggest a potential decrease in overall uniqueness."