Rage with the Machine : Navigating an AI-dentity crisis in creativity

It’s 9am. I’m on my third coffee, staring at a blank screen, willing for creative inspiration for an OOH ‘media first’ to appear. My rational brain knows this vacuum of ideas is a natural part of the creative process; my emotional brain tells me I’m rubbish, I’m burnt out, I should pack my bags and leave. Or a third option creeps into my consciousness; should I ask Gen AI to help me create some ideas, and if I do, what does that mean for authenticity, agency and my own creative identity? Is this the digital version of throwing in the towel or a smart efficiency play?

In this moment of crisis, I remember a manifesto I read earlier this year. Created by BBH Singapore and inspired by the real-life struggles and triumphs of creatives, a central insight emerged: persistence is power. Show up. Rinse & Repeat. Instead of just words on paper, they shaped their manifesto into an unmissable slab of soap. Covered entirely in long copy, the soap charts a journey marked by rejection and doubt, embodying the unwavering spirit of a creative. Designed to be held, used, and slowly revealed, the release and reward, much like the creative process, come only at the end.

All well and good, but in the era of GenAI, is it still necessary to subject ourselves to unrelenting creative struggle, to self-inflicted friction as the only process to come up with the goods? Are we raging against the machine because we believe GenAI’s creative chops are subpar, homogenised by the law of averages, or is it our fear of losing our creative identity, atrophying our creative muscle and skillset? Or both? It dawns on me, the real shift isn’t just technological, but psychological.

Throughout history, every tool we adopt has had an initially concerning impact on identity. Calculators heralded as the dearth of our mathematical prowess (Gen X will remember that teacher saying ‘you won’t always have a calculator in your pocket’), Microsoft Word Spellchecker, the killer of wordsmiths and grammar police in one hit and cars reducing physical humans to sloths. Some philosophers argue that tools become part of our cognitive process. In extended mind theory, objects like smartphones, laptops and even other people can become part of our functional mind. Through this lens, GenAI becomes an extension of our minds, not a separate entity, keeping our identity intact. Bingo.

GenAI can help unlock creativity that you couldn’t reach alone. Katy Hindley, Innovation Director, Posterscope

Creativity is a form of self-expression, where originality is often core to self-worth. GenAI can help unlock creativity that you couldn’t reach alone. But the process can make you feel both empowered and diminished, depending on the level and quality of human input. Brainstorming with an AI can be frustrating. The lack of human empathy, sarcasm, left field thinking and general people pleasing (‘hey that’s an awesome idea’ to every idea) can become wearisome. Also, who owns the idea? Agency matters, as does Copyright.

But as they say, a bad carpenter blames their tools. Adopting a ‘co-pilot’ mindset might help us reframe our relationship with AI. Instead of asking where ‘I’ stop and ‘AI’ begins, we can ask ‘what role do we want AI to play?’ Is it a tool, collaborator or creator? What aspects of creativity are non-negotiable for my identity? Wielded with the right intent and purpose, AI has the potential to amplify creativity rather than dilute it. And for the AI naysayers, recent research from the folks at System1 backs this up. The data showed that AI-enhanced creative work was more effective with consumers than human-only creative work. However, as AI can’t think, doesn’t know our brands and lacks distinctiveness, essential for long term brand building, AI needs our human taste, expressions and storytelling skills to really connect with audiences in a meaningful way.

With that mindset, I reappraise my original challenge and think more broadly of how AI has amplified OOH’s creative capabilities to date. From more accessible opportunities for dynamic storytelling using real time data to serve relevant creative, to expanding OOH’s ability to serve communities. Intelligent posters for The Ben Kinsella Trust raise awareness of the devastating effects of knife crime by triggering messages from mothers to sons as ambulance sirens are detected. Or posters for Belvita that not only recognise when you smile but also smile back and donate to charity as a result. Pretty compelling stuff.

So, what’s the approach? I’m learning to rage with the machine. Not against it. Keeping agency by directing AI to challenge norms, not reinforce them. Doing the hard yards and critical thinking upfront to set the intent, the guardrails and style, and then letting AI riff on the concept.

Where AI shines is in early ideation and mood boards, providing creative stimulation, a benchmark for market averages, not producing the work. In this framework, GenAI is as an infinite creative resource, to complement my experience, skillset and taste, not replace it.

This article first appeared in Creative Brief Rage with the machine: How to navigate an AI-dentity crisis in creativity