The Double-Edged Roles of Generative AI in the Creative Process: Experiments on Design Work
通过实验室和实地实验，发现生成式AI在头脑风暴阶段能提升所有用户的创造力，但在执行阶段会降低专家效率，建议企业根据员工经验和任务阶段差异化采用。
Generative AI (GenAI) promises to revolutionize creative work, but its value is not universal. Using controlled lab settings with students and real-world tests with professional designers, our research shows that GenAI is a double-edged tool. In the initial brainstorming (ideation) stage, GenAI reliably boosts creativity for all users. However, in the execution (implementation) stage, whereas novice designers continue to benefit from GenAI’s assistance, expert designers encounter inefficiencies—spending significantly more time without improving creativity, because GenAI’s methods conflict with experts’ well-established routines. For firms, this means adoption strategies must be nuanced. GenAI delivers the greatest value when applied to brainstorming, early concept development, and work by less-experienced employees. In contrast, deploying GenAI in later-stage production tasks, especially with seasoned professionals, may reduce efficiency. Managers and tool designers should avoid blanket promotion of GenAI across all tasks and instead develop targeted adoption strategies that align with employees’ expertise and the stage of the creative process. By tailoring GenAI use, organizations can harness its creative potential while minimizing risks of counterproductive outcomes.