Caterina Moruzzi is Chancellor’s Fellow in Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, BRAID Research Fellow, and lead of the Creativity, AI, and the Human research cluster at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Her research lies at the intersection between the philosophy of art, human and artificial creativity, and the philosophy of Artificial Intelligence.
A post by Caterina Moruzzi
Imagine the near future of 2030 where AI has become deeply embedded in creative workflows. What does that future look like?
This is one of the questions that we are asking the participants in the “Future Proofing Creative Skills for Responsible AI Adoption” workshop series (https://crea-tec.weebly.com/workshops.html). Through these workshops we aim to identify and discuss the new and future-proof skills that creators need in the current technological landscape.
This post is about the significance of imagining the future of our creative interactions with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in order to proactively anticipate the transformative impact of these emerging technologies on creative education and professional practice. I will talk about how the workshop series was designed to account for this significance, and present some preliminary insights from the initial sessions.
The rapid progression of AI technologies is raising concerns about the impact that the integration of AI in an increasing number of everyday activities, including creative ones, will have on critical thinking (Gehrlich, 2025; Yizhou, 2024). This challenge extends beyond educational contexts – where it is of extreme urgency – impacting professionals who rely on cognitive skills in their work and need sustainable reskilling strategies to adapt to changing job demands. How can envisioning the future of AI-integrated creative workflows inform the development of education and training programs? Preparing future generations for human-AI collaboration requires a forward-thinking approach to education, ensuring that upcoming cohorts are ready and equipped to harness the potential of AI in a responsible and meaningful way.
The need to reimagine training and education offerings is only one, necessary, reaction to the evolution of Creativity Support Tools that we are witnessing. Creativity Support Tools are manual or computer-based methods or frameworks that have the potential to increase efficiency in one or more stages of the product development process (Norell, 1996). The recent development of generative AI (GenAI) technologies for the generation of content (image, video, text, audio, and code) is introducing new levels of autonomy and adaptability to Creativity Support Tools. The unprecedented levels of automation that GenAI is introducing in creative workflows, is shifting the balance between user agency and the automation of entire stages of creative workflows that were previously under the control of human creators (Moruzzi & Margarido, 2024). This is sending shockwaves through the creative sector, influencing the way in which creators create and market their work (Epstein et al., 2023). Hence the urgency to explore how creators are integrating AI tools into their practices, and how this integration is reshaping their creative workflows (Palani & Ramos, 2024).
This exploration is central to the “CREA-TEC: Cultivating Responsible Engagement with AI Technology to Empower Creatives” project (https://crea-tec.weebly.com/), of which the workshop series is an integral part. As a fellowship I am currently undertaking, CREA-TEC aims to foster the responsible integration of generative AI tools into creative practices, enhancing our understanding of who benefits from these new forms of creativity and identifying those who require protection.
The first stage of the project involved a three-week longitudinal study with creative professionals from the marketing and advertising sector. Our goal through this study was to identify successes, challenges, and aspirations for the development of future AI tools. A key insight that resulted from the interviews conducted with creators during the study is the enduring relevance of craft. While professionals are enthusiastic about AI’s potential, they are keen to uphold traditional values like skill and authenticity. As AI-generated outputs increase, so does the value of human-generated content, offering a counterbalance to machine-produced work. This is a phenomenon that is not new per se, as it shares commonalities with the increased consumers’ desire for products and experiences that are authentic and meaningful, part of the 2000s “authentiseeking” trend (Crafts Council, 2020).
The reason for the popularity of GenAI-powered Creativity Support Tools is mostly to be found in their accessible interfaces, which allow content creation with basic computer literacy. However, mastering advanced features requires expertise (Subramonyam et al., 2024). Participants emphasised the need for training and resources to understand AI tools better, highlighting a broader necessity for skill development strategies that enable creators to effectively use advanced AI technologies.
The “Future Proofing Creative Skills for Responsible AI Adoption” workshop series has been designed to respond to this need. Through the workshops, we co-create with participants plausible scenarios which explore futures of creative practices with AI and map the skills gaps of today. The design of the workshops incorporates Futures Studies, a discipline focused on exploring potential futures to inform present decision-making (Bagchi et al, 2023; Inayatullah, 2013). This approach empowers participants to actively shape their futures rather than merely react.
The workshops focus on several key areas. In terms of learning and skill development, participants explore innovative pathways for mastering AI tools, identifying essential reskilling areas, and understanding how different users adapt to new technologies. Adaptation strategies are indeed a critical component; participants discuss the evolution of their creative workflows with AI integration and the barriers faced by users in adopting AI tools, whether at an organisational or individual level. Regarding the future of creative education, the workshops seek to gain insights on how to reimagine educational models suitable for AI-integrated practices, ensuring that future training opportunities effectively equip creatives for the challenges ahead.
So far, we have concluded three out of four workshops in the series. Each workshop is directed and tailored to creators at different career stages: freelancers, early career, in-house professionals, and creative managers.
During the workshops, we invite participants to imagine a typical workday in a 2030 creative landscape deeply embedded with AI, considering how roles might evolve and what skills will be essential for success. Most participants would welcome future AI systems to support them in non-creative tasks such as administrative duties. However, they acknowledge the need for maintaining oversight over the processes and products of AI.
For freelancers, the enduring relevance of craft and authenticity was a focal point, as participants stressed that the true value of creative products lies in their human origin. There is an underlying fear that AI-generated and human-created works may appear indistinguishable to untrained eyes, which challenges the essence of creativity. Information overload, and the continuous need to invest time and resources in learning to use new AI tools with evolving functionalities was raised as a concern by freelancers given the critical importance of time. Early career and in-house professionals echoed this concern, recognising the pressures and expectations to adopt AI tools. Environmental impact also surfaced as a major issue in all the sessions so far. Looking to the future, participants called for measures to protect creators amidst digital divides and entry barriers, underscoring the need for equitable access to technology. There are hopes for future financial measures, such as universal basic income (UBI), to support professionals, especially those already disproportionately affected in the past and now facing new challenges posed by AI integration. In-house professionals highlighted the need for more institution-driven discussions on the challenges of AI integration and adaptation that involve the communities impacted by these technologies. Participants also expressed the importance of personal connections and opportunities for in-person knowledge and ideas sharing, noting that the use of AI can contribute to a sense of isolation.
In the current landscape, where attitudes among creators are polarised, with some feeling compelled to embrace AI to avoid being left behind, while others firmly resisting its influence, imagining short and medium term future scenarios empowers creators to move beyond antagonism or blind adoption, and navigate instead current socio-technical complexities posed by AI. By identifying a preferred future, creators can actively shape their trajectory, rather than simply reacting to change.
Acknowledgements
My sincere gratitude goes to those who contributed to the design and delivery of the workshop series (in alphabetical order): Pushpi Bagchi, Kam Chan, Billy Dixon, Laura Herman, Kyle Morrison, Jade Wang, Aulia Wiradarmo, Jiarong Yu, and to the Edinburgh Futures Institute for supporting and hosting the workshops. The CREA-TEC project is supported by the Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) programme with funds received from the Arts and Humanities Research Council [grant number AH/X007146/1].
References
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Crafts Council. (2020). The Market for Craft. Available at: https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/documents/880/Market_for_craft_full_report_2020.pdf. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
Epstein, Z., et al. (2023). Art and the science of generative AI. Science 380, 6650, 1110–1111. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh4451
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Inayatullah, S. (2013). Futures studies: theories and methods, in Fernando Gutierrez Junquera, ed., There's a Future: Visions for a better world (Madrid, BBVA), 36-66.
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