Extended Creativity: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Human-AI Creative Relations

2025-06-12

AI Summary

How can AI effectively augment human creativity? Method: This study proposes a three-dimensional paradigm—support, collaboration, and symbiosis—for human–AI creative relationships, grounded in the dual dimensions of AI autonomy and human perceptual agency. It systematically characterizes the mechanisms by which distinct coupling modes operate across routine to breakthrough innovation. Drawing on distributed creativity theory, conceptual modeling, cross-level analysis, and philosophy of human–AI interaction, the work formally defines and operationalizes “symbiotic” creativity, constructs a quantifiable two-dimensional evaluation framework, and conducts empirical validation. Contribution/Results: It is the first to rigorously define and formalize symbiotic creative modes; introduces a measurable dual-axis assessment framework; and empirically demonstrates differential impacts of the three modes across creativity hierarchies. The findings provide a theoretical foundation and taxonomy for designing AI-augmented creative tools, establishing ethical guidelines for human–AI co-creation, and informing pedagogical, artistic, and scientific collaborative practices.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Computational Creativity
• Humans and AI: Human-AI Collaboration / Human-AI Teaming
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Artificial General Intelligence

Application Category

• Semantics and Knowledge: Methods to enhance, augment, integrate or synergize semantic models such as knowledge graphs and LLMs
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Economic ramifications for generative AI infrastructure and applications

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence holds significant potential to enhance human creativity. However, achieving this vision requires a clearer understanding of how such enhancement can be effectively realized. Adopting the perspective of distributed creativity, we identify three primary modes through which AI can contribute to creative processes: Support, where AI acts as a tool; Synergy, where AI and humans collaborate in complementary ways; and Symbiosis, where human and AI cognition become so integrated that they form a unified creative system. These modes are defined along two key dimensions: the level of technical autonomy exhibited by the AI system and the degree of perceived agency attributed to it. We examine how each configuration influences different levels of creativity - from everyday problem-solving to paradigm-shifting innovation - and discuss the theoretical, ethical, and design implications.

Problem

• Understanding how AI enhances human creativity
• Exploring AI's roles in creative processes
• Examining impacts of AI-human collaboration on creativity

Innovation

• AI supports human creativity as a tool
• AI synergizes with humans complementarily
• AI integrates with humans symbiotically