Runco, M. A. (2023). AI can only produce artificial creativity. Journal of Creativity, 33(3), 100063.
Added by: alexb44 Last edited by: alexb44 02/09/2026, 02:04
"AI does not choose to produce novelty. Like porpoises, it may produce something that is attributed with creativity, but actually it is at most mere novelty, and even this is not intentional."
"The authentic individual expresses ideas and feelings without manipulating them for the sake of others. It may be that AI can avoid filters, but there is no self to express, so no possibility of authenticity."
"[The Lovelace test] was named after Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), daughter of Lord Byron, because she proposed that the critical test for a computer was whether or not it can "originate an idea." That of course puts the emphasis on originality, but it also implies that the underlying process is important. After all, "to originate" describes the process used when something new comes into being. This suggestion of process goes a long way towards answering the question of AI creativity. That is because AI can produce things that are judged to be creative, but judgments are fallible, and, more importantly, AI does not use the same creative process as humans."
"To begin with, AI can be original, and its output is often useful. If AI produces useful output, it may satisfy the requirement of “effectiveness” (also called fit or “utility,” Tsao, Ting, & Johnson, 2019). But creativity is more than originality and effectiveness. Think for a moment about the research on divergent thinking. Tests of divergent thinking are usually scored for originality, but that does not make them tests of creativity. Originality is necessary but not sufficient for creativity. Originality can be wildly ineffective, as is apparent in the divergent thinking of psychotic patients (Eysenck, 1997). Sometimes original things are original precisely because they are worthless."
"It suggested that AI can be original and effective, but it lacks other things that are a part of authentic creativity (e.g., intrinsic motivation, intentionality, authenticity, problem finding). It may be that intentionality covers intrinsic motivation, problem finding, and choice. It may even cover authenticity, at least in the sense that an authentic human regularly chooses (or intends) to express him- or herself (rather than conform)."
Runco, M. A. (2025). Updating the standard definition of creativity to account for the artificial creativity of AI. Creativity Research Journal, 37(1), 1–5.
Added by: alexb44 Last edited by: alexb44 02/09/2026, 02:04
"The debate about the best definition of creativity has recently gained urgency. That is because there are claims that AI is creative. AI may in fact qualify as creative according to the SDC, but at the same time there are compelling reasons to question the creativity of AI. This in turn implies that it may be time to update the SDC."
Runco, M. A., & Jaeger, G. J. (2012). The standard definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 24(1), 92–96.
Added by: Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard Last edited by: alexb44 02/09/2026, 02:04
"The standard definition is bipartite: Creativity requires both originality and effectiveness."
Stein on social judgment and Boden's P and H creativity
Stein (1953) is also quoted in detail because he offered several other ideas that are still in use and were well ahead of their time. These include his ideas that (a) creative work tends to be useful for some group, and thus that social judgment is involved; (b) a creative insight ‘‘arises from a reintegration of already existing materials or knowledge, but when it is completed it contains elements that are new’’ (p. 311); and (c) it is important to separate personal from historical creativity (cf. Boden, 1994; Runco, 1996).
