UCL School of Management Assistant Professor Anil Doshi recently took part in a panel discussion organised by the OECD exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on student creativity. Held on the run up to World Creativity & Innovation Day, the panel explored whether AI is helping students to apply subject knowledge, or if it merely encourages a superficial level of understanding and dependence on technology.
The OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) is a non-profit organisation helping individuals and nations to identify and develop the knowledge and skills required to create better jobs and lives in order to generate prosperity and promote social inclusion. Anil joined Todd Lubart, a Professor of Psychology at Université Paris Cité and Kim van Broekhoven, an Assistant Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and discussed his recent research on the impact of generative AI on creativity.
Citing a study from his research paper published in Science Advances last year, Anil asked 300 participants to write a short story, giving some writers ideas generated by AI. He then relayed these stories to a number of readers, who were asked to evaluate the creativity of the stories. Interestingly, Anil’s paper found that writers with access to generative AI were found to be more creative, more well-written and less boring than those developed without the use of AI.
Although seemingly positive for individual writers who produced better quality work, Anil’s research ultimately shows that the ideas generated by AI were highly similar in nature overall. Exploring this throughout the discussion, the panellists evaluated whether AI can actually help learners to apply subject matter via innovative ways, or whether this technology actually encourages dependency and superficial engagement. They also discussed the ethical and regulatory implications of AI in education, including those who benefit and those who are left behind.
An expert in digital technologies and their organisational implementation and use, Anil recently hosted a TEDx Talk exploring generative AI at Westminster School. The talk has already amassed more than 17,000 views on YouTube.
Watch the full OECD panel discussion or view Anil’s recent TEDx Talk.
