[Insight & Opinion] AI Ushers in the Era of Democratized Creativity

Opportunities for Learning Creativity Through Questions and Dialogue
AI Learning as a Key to Educational Innovation in Korea

It has been 30 years since the internet ushered in the era of democratized knowledge. Today, anyone can easily access the information they desire, making it difficult to stand out from others based solely on knowledge. What should we develop beyond knowledge? The answer is undoubtedly creativity. Creativity has always been a highly sought-after intellectual capability. In fact, nearly every elementary, middle, and high school across the country sets 'nurturing creative talent' as its educational goal and slogan. Yet, despite this consistent pursuit, there has been little improvement in people's creativity. Why is that? The goals and aspirations are clear, but there have been no effective means to achieve them.

Since the advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI), revolutionary changes have been taking place across all areas of human intellectual activity. AI now goes beyond the realm of knowledge, assisting with problem-solving and decision-making, and even possesses empathy and emotional intelligence. It surprises us even in the domains of imagination and creativity, which were once considered uniquely human. In short, AI is endlessly expanding and augmenting the full spectrum of human intellectual potential.

Among the aspects of human intelligence influenced by AI, the area of creativity holds particularly special significance. Creativity is the highest-level intellectual capability that enables value creation. However, the technical barriers to developing creativity have always been extremely high. Creativity was even regarded as an innate talent limited to a select few. Yet, generative AI has instantly broken down these high barriers to creativity.

To enhance creativity, one simply needs to consistently ask questions and engage in conversations with generative AI. Through such interactions, anyone can now cultivate creativity easily and freely. There are many methods, all relatively simple to practice: asking creative questions, requesting creative ideas, receiving personalized training methods to boost creativity, listening to advice on making creativity a habit, or even creating and using a chatbot for creativity training.

In the past, even those who wanted to learn creativity had few methods or good coaches available. Now, numerous generative AIs are always ready to respond and assist us. All that is required is the desire and willingness to learn creativity. When in human history has there ever been such an abundance of opportunities to learn creativity as there is now?

The greatest asset of South Korea has always been its people. We must nurture people through education. Although the desire for educational innovation fills everyone's hearts, unraveling the tangled threads of educational reform is extremely difficult. In this context, generative AI has suddenly emerged as a magical solution capable of untangling the Gordian knot. For Korean society, this is an unparalleled opportunity. Regardless of whether digital AI textbooks are adopted, every elementary, middle, high school, and university student should be encouraged to actively use generative AI. Not only students but all citizens should utilize AI every day as a personalized teacher and coach to foster creativity. If we do so, I believe the seemingly intractable threads of educational innovation will eventually unravel with ease.

Just as the internet opened the era of democratized knowledge over 30 years ago, generative AI can open wide the era of democratized creativity. South Korea possesses creative genes that are second to none in the world. We must awaken those dormant genes through active use of AI. This is the path to becoming not only the world’s leading digital powerhouse but also the most creative nation in the world.

Kim Hyungon, Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of National Policy at Chungnam National University and Former President of the National Assembly Futures Institute