There is a big debate today whether AI is creative.
Or if this is a human only quality.
The starting point might be to revisit:
What is creativity?
Most definitions of creativity seem to revolve around novelty and usefulness of ideas.
I have a slightly different view, here is my working definition:
‘Creativity is anything that is new or different that might have value.’
Anything: an idea, image, connection, poem, recipe etc
New or different – a broader scope (not just novelty)
Might have value: You never know in advance if something has value to say consumers, clients, kids, parents, students etc but it still might have value.
So using this definition AI certainly is creative or has the potential to be creative.
So if AI can be considered creative and humans certainly are perhaps we should be now considering the idea of Total Creativity?
For the first time, we (humans) have a genuine partner in thinking, creating, and imagining – its called artificial intelligence.
Yet, the true magic happens not when humans or AI create independently, but when they create together.
Total Creativity = Human x AI Creativity
Notice it’s a multiplication sign, not a plus.
Because when human and AI creativity combine, the result isn’t additive — it’s exponential.
Why “×” Changes Everything
If we add human and AI creativity we assume each contributes separate parts — like two artists painting on the same canvas but working alone.
Multiplication (×), however, means amplification.
It means that the strengths of one expand the potential of the other.
When humans bring emotion, imagination, and purpose, and AI brings speed, scope, and synthesis, their interplay produces outcomes neither could achieve alone.
It’s not man versus machine; it’s man multiplied by machine.
Human Creativity:
Human creativity is inherently emotional, intuitive, and contextual. It’s shaped by experience, memory, empathy, and a deep understanding of what matters. Humans can sense the tone of a conversation, the courage behind a new idea, or the story behind a small change.
We are great at asking, “Why does this matter?”
We connect ideas to values, aspirations, and feelings.
Human creativity is also messy and slow — sometimes frustratingly so.
But this “slowness” gives depth.
It’s what allows breakthroughs to feel meaningful rather than mechanical.
AI Creativity:
AI, on the other hand, is an incredible generator.
It can produce thousands of possibilities in seconds.
It doesn’t tire, hesitate, or fear judgment.
It can remix ideas, test alternatives, and reveal patterns we might overlook.
AI lacks emotion however.
It doesn’t feel joy, excitement, or fear.
It doesn’t care whether an idea will move someone’s heart.
That’s where humans step in.
The Power of the Partnership
When the two forms of creativity connect, something extraordinary happens.
AI becomes an extension of our imagination, not a replacement for it.
I know in my work on Switch Thinking for example, I can ask bigger questions, test wilder possibilities, and create faster feedback loops between thinking and doing.
For example:
- A designer uses AI to generate 50 prototypes in an afternoon — but selects the one that feels right based on human intuition.
- A songwriter asks AI for lyric ideas — but shapes the final version around a personal story.
- A leader uses AI to simulate different scenarios — but makes decisions grounded in empathy and values.
This is co-creation at its finest.
The human provides direction, emotion, and judgment; the AI provides momentum, variation, and expansion.
Together, they create Total Creativity.
Is this a New Paradigm of Creativity
For centuries, creativity has been seen as a solo act — the lone genius, the artist in the attic.
We now know that creativity is increasingly a team effort.
However even that story is changing.
The next wave of creativity will be hybrid, fast, and co-created.
The real skill isn’t knowing how to prompt AI, but how to partner with it — how to switch between human intuition and machine generation.
Those who learn to do this fluidly will unlock new levels of insight, innovation, and imagination.
The Future Is Not Human or AI — It’s Human × AI
Total Creativity doesn’t replace us; it reveals more of us.
It expands what’s possible.
It makes total creativity accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time — often in just a few minutes.
The key is learning to switch creative modes — between human and AI.
When we do, we discover that the next great creative revolution isn’t artificial at all.
It’s deeply, powerfully human — multiplied by AI.