Is AI Creative? Only If We Are.

I want to start by saying: I love Rick Rubin.

His book, The Creative Act, is one of those rare reads that shifts something in you. I’ve admired his work for years—not just the way he shapes sound, but the way he treats creativity like a sacred practice. So when he said in an interview that AI has never created anything creative, I paused.

And I’ve been thinking about that ever since.

Rubin’s sentiment isn’t rare. A lot of people in creative fields feel the same. AI seems cold. Predictable. Robotic. It doesn’t bleed or stretch or suffer for the art. It just spits things out.

But here’s where I disagree.

Creativity Isn’t in the Tool

Saying AI isn’t creative feels a little like saying a camera isn’t artistic. Or that a piano isn’t musical. Or that a paintbrush can’t be expressive.

All of these are just tools. On their own, they don’t do much. A piano doesn’t write sonatas. A paintbrush doesn’t dream up new color palettes. A camera doesn’t frame the world in meaningful ways. But in the hands of someone with vision? That’s where the spark shows up.

AI is no different.

It's not the artist. It's the instrument.

Used with care, it can become a lens—a new way to see, shape, and share. It’s not that AI creates meaning. It’s that it helps us find it, if we know what we’re looking for.

This reminds me of something we covered in Why Tools Don’t Matter Until You Know What You Want: The tool is neutral. The impact is in the intention.

Every Tool Was Once Feared

There’s a long history of resistance to new tools in creative spaces.

Socrates thought writing would make people lazy thinkers. Critics feared the printing press would flood the world with junk. Painters scoffed at photography, calling it mechanical. And when film editing went digital? Same panic. Less soul, they said.

As the Smithsonian notes, technology has revolutionized art many times before. But instead of destroying creativity, each tool simply reshaped it.

AI is following that same arc.

Yes, you can use it to churn out lifeless, shallow stuff. But you can do the same with a keyboard. Or a camera. Or a microphone. The tool doesn’t set the bar. You do.

So, What Is Creativity, Really?

I think what we’re really asking when we talk about AI and creativity is something deeper.

We’re asking: What does it mean to be original?
We’re asking: How do you make something that matters?

And those are human questions. Because creativity isn't just about output. It's about input. It’s about noticing things. Making choices. Taking care.

In The Fusion of Art and Technology, there's a strong case made that new tools don’t replace creativity—they broaden the field for it.

You can have the best tools in the world, but without care, nothing resonates. Creativity is more than execution. It's attention. It's honesty. It's intention.

That’s not something AI can do for us. But it can help amplify those things—if we lead.

AI as Collaborator, Not Shortcut

Here’s where it gets interesting.

When we stop thinking of AI as a shortcut and start seeing it as a creative partner, everything shifts. It’s not about handing over the work. It’s about working differently.

AI can help you explore an idea from five angles. It can remix a rough thought into a clean draft. It can surface connections you didn’t see. But it still needs you to care. To shape. To edit. To decide.

Used well, it’s a trampoline. Not a crutch.

There’s nothing wrong with speed or scale. But those aren’t the same as depth. That’s where you come in.

If you want a deeper dive on this tension, What Makes a Good Idea? breaks it down beautifully—especially how ideas grow in quality, not just quantity.

The Tool Doesn’t Matter. The Artist Does.

So, is AI creative?

Not on its own. But then again, no tool ever is.

Creativity lives in how we use the things in front of us. It shows up when we make something personal. Something thoughtful. Something real.

That’s not about AI. That’s about us.

Whether we’re holding a brush, a lens, or a prompt box, what matters most is still the same: care, context, and craft.

If we bring those to the table, the tools—any tools—can help us make something that matters.

And if you’re wondering how constraints fit into this, Working with Constraints is a Creative Advantage might be the next best read.