Nairobi News

A recent study conducted by the University of Montana, along with its collaborators, has revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to match the creative abilities of the top 1% of human participants on a well-known test for measuring creativity. 

Led by Dr. Erik Guzik, an assistant clinical professor at the university’s College of Business, the research team employed the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), a widely recognized tool used for assessing human creativity.

The researchers used ChatGPT, an AI application powered by the GPT-4 engine, to generate eight responses. They also collected answers from a control group of 24 University of Montana students who were enrolled in entrepreneurship and personal finance classes taught by Dr. Guzik.

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These responses were then compared to those of 2,700 college students from across the United States who took the TTCT in 2016. The scores were evaluated by the Scholastic Testing Service, an organization unaware of the AI’s involvement in the study.

The findings demonstrated that ChatGPT performed exceptionally well in creativity. It achieved a top percentile ranking for fluency (the ability to generate numerous ideas) and originality (the ability to produce new concepts). While the AI slightly lagged in flexibility (the capacity to create various types of ideas), it still ranked in the 97th percentile in this category.

Dr. Guzik expressed satisfaction that some of his own University of Montana students also ranked in the top 1% for creativity. However, he noted that ChatGPT outperformed the majority of college students nationwide.

The study took place during the spring semester and was supported by Christian Gilde from UM Western and Christian Byrge from Vilnius University. In May, the researchers presented their findings at the Southern Oregon University Creativity Conference, refraining from making extensive interpretations and simply presenting the results. The study indicated that AI, particularly ChatGPT powered by GPT-4, seems to possess creative abilities comparable to, or even surpassing human capabilities.

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Dr. Guzik recounted that he had asked ChatGPT about its potential performance on the TTCT. The AI’s response, which he shared at the conference, conveyed that human creativity might not be fully understood and suggested the need for more sophisticated assessment tools to distinguish between human and AI-generated ideas.

The study used the TTCT’s prompts, which mirror real-world creative tasks, such as finding new applications for a product or improving it. Dr. Guzik highlighted that ChatGPT excelled in generating a high volume of relevant and valuable ideas. He was particularly impressed by the AI’s ability to come up with original ideas, a key aspect of human imagination. Surprisingly, ChatGPT outperformed expectations in this area, landing in the top percentile for generating fresh responses.

Dr. Guzik shared that earlier research on GPT-3 had indicated that the AI did not fare as well as humans in tasks involving original thinking. However, the more advanced GPT-4 significantly improved, ranking in the top 1% of all human responses.

With the rapid advancement of AI, Dr. Guzik anticipates its increasing integration into the business world, becoming a crucial tool for innovation. He believes that AI has the potential to revolutionize entrepreneurship and regional innovation, emphasizing the importance of adapting to its use while considering ethical guidelines and regulations. The University of Montana’s College of Business is open to incorporating AI into its curriculum to prepare students for a future that undoubtedly includes AI in various aspects of business and creativity.

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