How AI Makes Everyone a Creative Collaborator
I've always envied Winston Churchill. There's a famous story about him sitting in his bathtub, dictating a national address to his assistant in the next room. He would refine and perfect his words through this back-and-forth dialogue, creating powerful speeches that moved nations.
Today, the poorest person in any city can have what only Winston Churchill once enjoyed: an intelligent assistant that understands context, voice, and intent. This is the transformative power of AI in our daily work lives.
Jeremy Utley, Stanford's AI Expert, Transforms How We Think About Creativity
Jeremy Utley has spent 15 years teaching at Stanford University, focusing on creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Two years ago, he co-authored "Idea Flow," the definitive guide to idea generation and prototyping. One month later, ChatGPT launched.
"Writing the canonical book on idea generation just before AI emerged is like writing the best book on retail just before the internet," Utley reflects. Instead of a book tour, he became a student again, diving deep into understanding how generative AI transforms problem-solving for individuals, teams, and organizations.
Chapter 1: Don't Ask AI, Let It Ask You
Most people approach AI backwards. They ask questions and expect answers. The breakthrough comes when you flip this dynamic.
Instead of asking "How should I answer this question?" try this approach:
"Hey, you're an AI expert. I need your consultation to figure out where I can best leverage AI in my life. As an expert, please ask me questions one at a time until you understand my workflows, responsibilities, and objectives. Then make two obvious and two non-obvious recommendations for how I could use AI in my work."
This creates an enlightening conversation because AI can evaluate its own capabilities and match them to your specific needs.
Real-World Impact: The National Park Service Success Story
Adam Rymer, a backcountry ranger at Glen Canyon National Park, dreaded paperwork. Replacing carpet tiles required 2-3 days of documentation. After basic training, Adam built an AI tool in 45 minutes using natural language that eliminated those two days of work.
That tool spread across all 430 national parks. The National Park Service estimates Adam's creation will save 7,000 days of human labor this year. This demonstrates the incredible impact non-technical professionals can achieve with foundational AI training.
Chapter 2: Don't Use AI, Treat It as a Teammate
Research reveals a surprising reality gap. While AI makes people 25% faster with 40% better quality work, less than 10% of professionals derive meaningful productivity gains from AI collaboration.
The difference lies in orientation. Underperformers treat AI like a tool. Outperformers treat AI like a teammate.
When a tool gives mediocre results, you accept or abandon it. When a teammate delivers insufficient work, you provide feedback, coaching, and mentorship to help them improve.
Practical Teammate Techniques
Roleplay difficult conversations: Have AI interview you about a challenging coworker, create their psychological profile, then roleplay the conversation from their perspective.
Ask for questions back: "What are ten questions I should ask about this?" or "What do you need to know from me to give the best response?"
Provide feedback and coaching: Guide AI to better understand your needs and improve its responses.
This shift from question-asker to collaborative partner unlocks applications you never imagined possible.
Inspiration as a Discipline
Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Lecrae once told Utley's Stanford class: "Inspiration is a discipline." The most creative individuals systematically cultivate inputs to their thinking because they know it affects their outputs.
Everyone has access to the same ChatGPT. What creates differential results is what you bring to the model: your technique, experience, perspective, and the inspiration you've gathered from the world.
Chapter 3: How to Go Beyond 'Good Enough' Ideas
A seventh-grader in Ohio provided the perfect definition of creativity: "Creativity is doing more than the first thing you think of."
This speaks to a fundamental cognitive bias called functional fixedness. Humans tend to fixate on early solutions and be satisfied with "good enough." Herbert Simon called this "satisficing."
The Definition of Creativity in the AI Age
AI makes "good enough" easier than ever to achieve. If your goal is world-class or exceptional results, you need to prompt for volume and variation. This requires time to read, sort, and process multiple options.
The definition of creativity doesn't change with AI. However, your ability to reach creative states depends on both the technology and your stated objectives when collaborating with it.
Creators shouldn't fear AI - they should dive in and lean into it. AI is about to unleash creators in ways never before possible.
Key Takeaway: Working With AI, Not Using It
The only correct answer to "How do you use AI?" is "I don't. I work with it."
When you shift from using AI as a tool to working with it as a teammate, everything changes. You unlock creative potential, solve problems more effectively, and achieve results that seemed impossible before.
This transformation isn't about replacing human creativity - it's about amplifying it. Just like Churchill had his assistant to refine his thoughts, we now have AI assistants that can understand our context and help us express our ideas with unprecedented clarity and impact.
The future belongs to those who learn to collaborate effectively with AI, treating it not as a replacement for human creativity, but as a powerful amplifier of human potential.
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