As the impact of AI and its implications ripple through society, bigger questions are being raised, including in Hollywood, where the entertainment industry relies on human creativity and innovation. The current writer/actor strike has brought this to the forefront: what is the role of AI in creative industries? But similar questions apply to jobs that have a major “people component” such as healthcare, education, food prep, design. What is the potential for AI to support - or supplant - people in these areas?
Our research shows that people - for the moment - see AI as supporting human creativity and innovation, not supplanting it.
- Very few people think AI will supplant human creativity and innovation (only 6% overall).
- Users are generally positive about AI: 52% believe it is a tool that can support creativity and innovation but human input remains crucial. This skews more highly in younger groups such as Gen Z (63%).
- And while people are still learning what AI can do, they feel less fearful of being supplanted because, according to them, AI cannot feel emotions, foster connections and think critically (as shown in the word cloud).
Implications
These are legitimate, big questions with many layers. For any business that relies on creativity and innovation, chances are they are already looking at what generative AI can do and wondering if there efficiencies to gain.
But while legal and economic forces play out in Hollywood and in many other industries, the public does not seem as concerned about the “replacement” threat of AI to human innovation. Perhaps because they don't know it yet, don't know how to assess it, or just don't want to know and hope it will be okay. In any case, the current level of concern that AI replaces human creativity and innovation is low and the enthusiasm for AI seems high.
For those in the media & entertainment field, rest assured that users want a human at the center of artistry and emotional experiences. Further, there is hope that AI will be an enabler to human achievements and expression. The media and entertainment industry should be careful that AI-generated content is at least reviewed by real people. Otherwise, the comment: “did AI do that for you?” may become a negative consumer statement.
