Searching Together: A Theory of Human-AI Co-Creativity

The recent developments have enabled generative AI (GAI) to produce content across various modalities that is often indistinguishable from human-generated content, challenging the long-held belief that creativity is a human prerogative. In the light of this transformative technological evolution, the authors propose a novel theory of human-AI co-creativity (HACC), conceptualizing creativity as a joint search process. This creative search consists of three main tasks—construction of a search space, movement through this space, and evaluation of points in it. In developing a framework of multi-actor joint search, the authors systematically analyze the space of possible configurations of human-AI collaboration for creative tasks, along the dimensions of specialization of actors and sequencing of tasks. By delving into the intersections of human creativity and advancements in GAI, the authors explore the implications of the human-AI collaborative creative process within organizational contexts and spur future discussions around developing human and AI co-creativity while sustaining human skills and agency.