New research revealed that generative language models have a higher level of creativity compared to humans compared to humans in the implementation of tasks requiring non -standard thinking. According to the report, the Openai GPT-4 model demonstrated outstanding abilities in creative and technical tasks.
Comparing the answers of 151 people and GPT-4 to the tasks for alternative use of objects, consequences and divergent associations, experts have found that AI surpasses people for each measurement of sabotage thinking, including the originality and details of the answers.
The study emphasizes that the creative potential, traditionally considered uniquely human line, is now disputed by the capabilities of AI. GPT-4, trained using training with reinforcements from human reviews, showed that his answers can be indistinguishable from human, especially in creative tasks.
During the study, various methods for assessing the creativity of 151 people and GPT-4 were used, including the tasks of alternative use of objects, the consequences of hypothetical situations and divergent associations to measure the originality, quantity and details of the answers.
The study included 3 different types of tasks:
- The first was focused on finding innovative ways of using ordinary objects, such as fork or rope;
- The second set the participants the task of predicting the outcome of fictional scenarios, for example, thoughts about a world where people do not need sleep;
- The third demanded from the participants to come up with 10 nouns that would be as far away from each other in meaning, demonstrating that, unlike a pair of words “dog” and “cat”, the words “cat” and “Ontology” have a significant semantic discrepancy.
The results showed that the GPT-4 not only generated more original and detailed answers, but also demonstrated a high creative potential included in the top 1% of human answers according to divergent thinking standards.
Despite the methodological restrictions, such as an assessment of only one side of divergent thinking without taking into account the usefulness of the idea, the study emphasizes the importance of further studying the interaction between AI and creativity. The work of scientists also indicates the possibility of using AI as a tool to overcome cognitive blocks and stimulate the creative process in people.