Generative AI use shows divergent effects on creativity: weakened creative writing but increased creative problem-solving and idea quality¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · checked against its sources 2026-10-21 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? First results indicate creative writing ability can be weakened through generative AI use. → Skulmowski 2024 q2 i? Other recent studies found increased creative problem-solving strategies and higher quality of new ideas through chatbot use. → Skulmowski 2024 (2)

Evidence¶

Skulmowski 2024¶

Skulmowski, A. (2024). Placebo or Assistant? Generative AI Between Externalization and Anthropomorphization. Educational Psychology Review, 36, 58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09894-x

q2 · i? · review · r2

The essay reports, citing Niloy et al. (2023), that "the ability for creative writing can be weakened through generative AI use". No effect size is printed in the essay.

"First results indicate that the ability for creative writing can be weakened through generative AI use (Niloy et al., 2023)."

Skulmowski 2024 (2)¶

Skulmowski, A. (2024). Placebo or Assistant? Generative AI Between Externalization and Anthropomorphization. Educational Psychology Review, 36, 58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09894-x

q2 · i? · theoretical · r3

The essay reports, citing Urban et al. (2024), "an increase in creative problem-solv -ing strategies through the use of a generative AI", and cites Habib et al. (2024) finding chatbot use can increase the quality of new ideas in an alternative-uses task. No effect sizes are printed.

"a recent study found the opposite effect, namely an increase in creative problem-solv -ing strategies through the use of a generative AI (Urban et al., 2024)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Creativity — outcome: instruction changes it
• Problem Solving — outcome: instruction changes it
• Writing Skills — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Recurring benefits of GenAI in STEAM education include engagement, teacher productivity, and creativity when supported by sound pedagogy — a broader claim this one bears on
• Intervention cohort scored significantly higher on creativity thinking, design skills, and problem solving, but not on presentation or attendance — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Free ChatGPT use boosts originality on the assisted creative task but the advantage disappears when assistance is removed — related
• Teachers express concern that student overreliance on AI may degrade independent thinking and hands-on scientific skills — related
• AI-assisted outputs are more similar to each other than purely human-authored ones, indicating a homogenization risk — related