Humble Creative Machines: A Higher Aim for Generative AI

Once the stuff of science fiction, creative machines are now reshaping culture and daily life. Much of today’s AI innovation reflects a sci-fi fantasy: the all-knowing oracle, an AI that ultimately surpasses its creators across the board. That dream powered extraordinary breakthroughs, but it also boxed the field into a narrow vision of what AI can become, steering development toward replacing human labor and risking mass unemployment.

Beneath this trajectory lies the assumption that human cognitive and creative capacity has largely been exhausted, that our biological minds have little left to offer. I’ll argue that humans are operating at only a small fraction of our potential, and introduce Humble Creative Machines, an alternative goal for generative AI: systems designed not to replace humans, but to unlock unrealized human capability and amplify our intellect and creativity. With this new vision, the human–machine relationship need not be a story of replacement, but one of imagination, expression, and the future we choose to build together.

Maya Ackerman, WaveAI

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) are committed to the principles of diversity, integrity, civility, and respect in all of our activities. We look to you to be a partner in this commitment by helping us to maintain a professional and cordial environment. All forms of discrimination, harassment, and bullying are prohibited in any NASEM activity. This commitment applies to all participants in all settings and locations in which NASEM work and activities are conducted, including committee meetings, workshops, conferences, and other work and social functions where employees, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, or guests are present.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Distinctive Voices