Are Generative AI Tools The Key To Creativity In 2024?

Nike’s CEO, John Donahoe, has recently come under fire for his bold claims pinning remote workers as the reason for the company’s innovation slowing down and dearth of new, disruptive products. 

Such claims are a result of losing market shares to not only Adidas, but also up-and-coming competitors, On Running and Hoka, which have won over a new generation of runners. JD boss, Regis Schultz, has no option but to pin the weaker sales down to Nike’s recent lack of innovative product releases. 

Acknowledging investor concerns about the lack of fresh products in Nike’s line-up, Donahoe said “it turns out, it’s really hard to do bold, disruptive innovation, to develop a boldly disruptive shoe, on Zoom”, essentially blaming the post-pandemic working culture for its demise. He then goes on to suggest that “the reasons are fairly straightforward”, alluding to remote working, and shares Nike’s plan to get itself back on the horse. As of 18 months ago, Nike called its employees back to the office in a bid to rebuild the disruptive innovation pipeline. 

But has it worked? And, if not, is physical proximity truly integral to innovation or is a little more obeisance to generative AI tools needed?

REMOTE VS. IN-PERSON

A study published by Nature recently made headlines for successfully dissecting the remote vs. in-person debate when it concerns creativity. On the surface, the analysis suggests a direct correlation between teams working in close proximity and their ability to produce pioneering work. However, as we delve deeper, the narrative undergoes a dramatic shift.

Post-2010, the birth and rapid adoption of technologies made specifically for remote work, was seen. Think Trello, Zoom, Slack, and Google Drive. Come 2015, these new implementations allowed distributed teams to pave new paths in innovation, rewriting the rules of collaborative creativity. 

Unfortunately, the cognitive bias around remote working will always remain, simply because organisations will always cling to familiar methods and practices. In turn, this highlights their reluctance to integrate emerging technologies into the creative process; including generative AI tools. 

IS CREATIVITY DYING?

The dwindling of workplace-fuelled creativity goes a lot deeper than just remote working. 

The general fixation on results over publishing original, pioneering work creates a lot of setbacks when it comes to championing creativity. We see it all the time in the film industry. How often does an original film get added to a cinema’s roster in comparison to a remake? 

If it’s the results they’re after, then perhaps leaning into the possibilities with generative AI tools can help.

While the 2010s pioneered new, collaborative technology, the 2020s will feature a whole new era of technology boosting innovation, by integrating generative AI tools into the creative process. Generative AI tools offer marketers those all important results and data-driven insights they seek from the outset, essentially revolutionising the brainstorming process and leading it to look something like this:

Initial idea generation

Inputting a chosen concept into the chosen AI tool, which will then generate a range of ideas, perspectives and solutions. This way, a lot of angles that might otherwise be overlooked during the general brainstorming process, won’t go missed.

Refining and evaluating ideas

Generative AI tools are able to evaluate the potential impact of generated ideas, including feasibility and general market readiness.

Enhancing creativity

What we’re all here for. AI-assisted design tools, predictive analytics, and simulation software can add clarity and depth by further developing initial ideas.

Collaborative integration

Individuals may then bring these AI-enhanced ideas to the rest of the team, already well-thought-out and data-backed. These feedback meetings work well either remotely or in-person.

Continuous feedback loop

Generative AI tools allow for continuous feedback and insights to be fed into the system, allowing for constant improvement.

THE TOP GENERATIVE AI TOOLS AND PLATFORMS

ChatGPT

Scribe

AlphaCode

GitHub Copilot

GPT-4

Midjourney

Bard

Cohere Generate

Dall-E2

Claude

Synthesia

Duet AI

If it’s disruption and trendsetting-innovation companies are seeking, then turning to generative AI tools for assistance (not to replace the person using them) is vital. What’s more, AI-assistance is not siloed to office spaces, rejecting the traditional belief that innovation can only occur in-person. Today, it’s crucial for fast-paced industries like footwear and apparel to stay ahead of the curve by leaning into generative AI tools and other technologies. In short, it’s not creativity that’s dying, it’s simply about taking it and applying it to more modern practices.

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