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Are you also annoyed by the posts on social media that always sound the same and the pictures that always look similar? Do you feel that because of AI, creativity is disappearing and being replaced by perfection? Then you are not alone. A diagnosis.
The Magazine The New Yorker and various research teams have been working on an exciting observation in recent weeks: “What actually happens to our creativity when we use generative AI every day?” One would like to answer hastily: It gets better, right? However, the result was (not really) surprisingly different.
Yes, AI makes us faster and more productive. And yes, it helps us produce results that often sound better than what we would have previously formulated on our own. At the same time, however, our texts, ideas and decisions are becoming increasingly similar. So originality gives way to smooth, interchangeable efficiency.
ChatGPT: AI-generated stories on social media
This result is based on some exciting studies. One of the most interesting was in the Science Advances published. We examined how short stories created with the support of ChatGPT are rated by readers.
The result: Individually, the stories were rated as more creative, fluid and of higher quality. However, when you look at them in comparison to each other, you notice how similar they are.
I also see this pattern in my AI training and workshops. Thanks to AI, participants who previously had difficulty writing creative texts now produce content that appears impressively professional, but at the same time somehow uniform.
AI postings on social media
Another example examined comes from Italy. In March 2023, access to ChatGPT was blocked there for around four weeks. As a result, social media posts from numerous restaurants suddenly became more linguistically diverse, more personal and more interesting – and received more engagement. When ChatGPT was available again, the texts smoothed out again.
This shows how quickly we give up creative responsibility when we use tools that provide us with standard formulations at the push of a button. Personal style rarely develops where efficiency is the dominant goal.
Instruments for optimizing processes
This development is even more evident in companies. I now often experience that AI systems like ChatGPT or others are not seen as an opportunity for new ways of thinking, but (merely) as instruments for process optimization. Teams use AI to get results faster, minimize risks and eliminate surprises.
That is a bitepiel for the so-called “Creativity Paradox“: Individual employees become more productive, but the company as a whole loses originality. Decisions converge, ideas become similar and the courage to think differently dwindles.
I also know this phenomenon from my start-up and AI training courses. Participants who see AI as merely an assistant produce solid but rarely exceptional ideas. However, those who see AI as a creative co-creator develop approaches that they would never have found without AI.
Technology without surprises
From a technical point of view, this is hardly surprising. Because generative AI is trained to deliver the most likely result. It does not deliver exceptional results, but rather consensus-based ones. So AI reproduces what is most widespread in its training material.
That’s why I often say in my lectures that AI is not the technology of the special, but the technology of the average. This is not meant so much as a criticism, but rather as a sober description of a statistical model on which AI is based.
If we use AI to copy our style – or someone or something’s – that’s exactly what it will do. On the other hand, if we use it in such a way that it can irritate us, it can do exactly that. However, we only do this very rarely in everyday life.
Exciting early times
I still remember the early days of ChatGPT. It was unpredictable, sometimes nonsensical, often chaotic. But it was also brave. ChatGPT produced formulations that had never been seen or read before.
Basically, you always had to think for yourself in order to recognize whether a created text actually made sense. Many people found this disturbing, but at the same time inspiring.
Today, in conversations, I almost exclusively come across sentences like “I use AI to write my emails faster” or “I always have summaries created for emails and articles, otherwise it’s too much/too tiring for me.”
In my opinion, it is precisely this attitude that is the real problem. We want to be more creative, but we are training the AI to imitate us with ever greater precision.
ChatGPT on social media: A now commonplace pattern
In my work as a lawyer, speaker and lecturer, I see this pattern again and again. People who use AI on a daily basis feel more productive, find their work less stressful, and appreciate the quality of their results.
At the same time, however, I also see that the result is less creative, less new. The creative muscle atrophies, so to speak, not suddenly, but slowly and imperceptibly. Anyone who outsources their creativity loses it little by little without noticing it.
AI as a co-creator of radical deviations
What can, what should we conclude from this? If we want to prevent efficiency from leading to intellectual and cultural impoverishment, we must change the way we use AI. AI must not just be an assistant, but must be allowed to act as a co-creator.
This means not only letting them work according to familiar patterns, but also consciously opening up spaces for radical deviation. Creative ownership remains crucial. AI should generate ideas, but humans have to shape them, alienate them, think more pointedly and add their own signature. Creativity does not arise in smoothness, but in resistance.
Conclusion: Efficiency without creativity is an empty shell
We are at a turning point. The tools that were supposed to free us from routine are now beginning to shape our thinking. The advantages of AI systems like ChatGPT or Claude are undeniable: we work faster, more efficiently and often even more precisely.
At the same time, we get into a cultural imbalance when we mistake smooth results for good results. The loss of creative diversity is a gradual process. It’s like so often with changes: they don’t come with a bang, but with a gentle, pleasant feeling of comfort.
Efficiency is valuable, no question about it. But without creativity it remains an empty shell. Maybe in the future we should ask AI not just how we can work faster, but how we can become bolder when it comes to creativity.
Efficiency produces results, but courage produces the future. And perhaps it is precisely this question that is the decisive step towards a world in which AI does not replace our creativity, but rather expands it.
Also interesting:
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- Should we treat AI as a legal entity?
- AI agents: When artificial intelligence acts independently
The post One-size-fits-all: ChatGPT makes social media posts all sound the same appeared first on BASIC thinking. Follow us too Google News and Flipboard or subscribe to our newsletter UPDATE.
As a Tech Industry expert, I believe that the concept of one-size-fits-all approach in content creation, particularly in social media posts, can be detrimental to a brand’s image and engagement with its audience. While ChatGPT and other AI tools can be helpful in generating content quickly, the lack of personalization and uniqueness can make the posts sound robotic and generic.
In order to truly connect with users on social media platforms, brands should strive to create authentic and original content that resonates with their target audience. This can be achieved by incorporating human creativity, emotions, and brand voice into the content creation process.
While AI can be a valuable tool in content creation, it should be used in conjunction with human input and creativity to ensure that social media posts are engaging, relatable, and reflective of the brand’s identity. By striking a balance between automation and personalization, brands can create a more meaningful and impactful social media presence.
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