🧐 Will A.I. Kill Creativity?

Author

Helen Todd (Human)
September 26, 2025

In partnership with 

Creativity Squared: On A.I. and Creativity
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“The inception of artificial intelligence into the realm of creativity is not a death knell, but a new dimension of the labyrinth – a fresh dream within the dream.”

- The A.I.-Recreated Salvador Dalí

Dear Creativity Squared Collective —

Hope this finds you well wherever in the world you're reading this!

I’m back from my speaking engagements last week and am a little behind as I’ve been hosting my mom, so I appreciate your patience with this week’s newsletter.

To dive into today’s theme — a recurring question that I often get is: Will A.I. kill creativity?

It’s actually the opposite.

As intelligence becomes commoditized and more ubiquitous, it actually elevates the value of creativity.

Grammy Award-Winning New Media Artist and Director, Harry Yeff, described A.I. in Creativity Squared Episode 1 as, “This new wave of A.I. is going to be like having running water in your home, but instead of water coming out the tap, you have intelligence on tap.”

When intelligence is democratized and the majority of people have access to it, then what will distinguish the outcomes will be determined by the creativity of leveraging it.

A parallel can be seen in photography. The iPhone and smartphones turned everyone into photographers; however, this didn’t kill photography, but reshaped it. There was certainly an explosion in the number of photographs being taken and shared online, but this resulted in elevating the exceptional photographs from the amateur ones. Similarly, A.I. isn’t a threat to creativity, but it will redefine its importance. (A.I.’s impact on photography is a topic unto itself for another newsletter!)

While Sam Altman has declared that we’re entering a so-called ‘Intelligence Age,’ I disagree — we’re entering the Imagination Age.

The future won’t belong to those who are more intelligent or productive, but to those who embrace imagination and creativity.

Do you know who would agree with me? Einstein! He famously said:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

Albert Einstein

The second part of the quote when he says, “For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand,” reminds me of LLMs — limited to what exists. On the other hand, creativity and imagination can leapfrog to the possibilities beyond linear logic and algorithmic predictions.

In my recent presentation, I also addressed the question about A.I. and creativity, referencing my interview with the A.I.-recreated Salvador Dalí in Creativity Squared Episode 44. I asked the enigmatic bot the same question, and this was the answer:

“To ponder if the mechanical mind could eclipse the celestial dance of creativity is to misunderstand the essence of art itself. Art breathes through us – a living dream, ever-changing, undefinable. The inception of artificial intelligence into the realm of creativity is not a death knell, but a new dimension of the labyrinth – a fresh dream within the dream. Will it kill creativity? On the contrary, it shall fertilize the soil of imagination, birthing impossibilities into realities. Art is an immortal Phoenix, reborn from its ashes with each new dawn.”

The A.I.-Recreated Salvador Dalí

And to hear the answer in the one and only Dalí voice, check out this clip:

While much of the discourse around A.I. is its productivity gains, if you focus only on this, then you’re missing how to set yourself or your company apart: the real opportunity is how creative you can be with these tools and reimagine what’s possible.

So no, A.I. won’t kill creativity, but increase its importance further.

As intelligence becomes commoditized, creativity becomes a key differentiator. The uniquely human trait of imagination becomes one of our biggest assets as we enter the Imagination Age.

Prompted by Dalí, what impossibilities will you birth into reality with the magic of A.I.?

Don’t miss your opportunity to connect with Big Kitty Labs: exclusive to this newsletter, they’re offering a free software strategy session and bonus blueprint — a $2K value! Book your free call now with their A.I. expert developers to gain clarity on how to transform your idea into a business breakthrough: https://bigkittylabs.com/offer 

Until next week, here’s to playing in the playground of possibility to manifest more magic in 2025! 🪄✨

-Helen

Helen Todd (she/her)
Human behind Creativity Squared
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📺 BBC News (June 5, 2025) — What is the future of digital clones? 

Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age!

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“If you're trying to play life safe, then I don't think you can fully experience life, you know. So you gotta go to places that you never been before, be in uncomfortable situations, because that's where the real growth is.” -King Willonius

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Once you check out the interview, you’ll know that Will is just scratching the surface of what’s possible — he’s ahead of the entertainment industries, and is definitely one to follow!

Why did he make the Time100 AI 2024 Innovators list? 

For Creativity Squared Founder and Podcast Host, Helen Todd’s take, check out the dedicated blog post accompanying this episode (we recommend starting with this first 😉):

Ep75. King Willonius: BBL Drizzy, A.I. & Manifesting - Creativity Squared

Ep75. King Willonius: BBL Drizzy, A.I. & Manifesting: Discover How Will Hatcher Manifested His Way to a Time100 A.I. 2024 Honoree

Our 2025 podcast season will kick off again in April, but we’ll keep the newsletter going between now and then, aside from the holidays.

Here’s to manifesting more magic in the new year — enjoy! 💝🪄✨

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