A large-scale international study has found that modern AI systems can outperform the average human on some creativity tests. At the same time, the most imaginative humans hold a clear advantage, especially in deeper and more expressive forms of creative work.
The study, led by Professor Karim Jarvi of the University of Montreal, compared the creative abilities of advanced AI models to those of more than 100,000 people. This is the largest direct comparison of human creativity to AI creativity.
Researchers tested several leading AI systems, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, on human participants. On certain tasks that measure original thinking and idea generation, some AI models, including GPT 4, scored higher than the average human.
Researchers say this marks an important turning point. AI is no longer limited to copying patterns or following strict rules. Well-defined tests can now generate ideas that are more original than most people’s ideas.
However, the benefits end there. When we broke down the results further, clear differences emerged. The most creative humans, especially the top 10%, consistently outperformed all AI models tested. Even the most advanced systems cannot match the ingenuity of highly creative people.
How was creativity tested?
To fairly measure creativity, the team used a simple but powerful test called the divergent association task. Participants were asked to list 10 words that were as unrelated as possible. The more distant the meaning, the higher the creativity score. Both humans and AI completed the same tasks under the same rules.
The researchers looked beyond word lists. They compared humans and AI on creative writing tasks such as haiku, movie summaries, and short stories. The pattern remained the same. Although AI often matches or exceeds the work of the average human, the most powerful and most original work remains by humans.
The study also found that AI creativity can be tuned. By changing internal settings and the way you write instructions, you can make the AI’s responses safer and more predictable, or more adventurous and unexpected.
Researchers say the findings do not mean AI will replace writers, artists, or other creators. Rather, it suggests a future where AI acts as a powerful creative assistant, helping people explore ideas and expand their imaginations.
Previously, Qazinform News Agency reported on how each generation is using AI in their daily lives.
