Study results show that AI struggles with true creativity compared to humans

A page full of abstract shapes can evoke very different ideas depending on who is looking at it. For some people, a curve becomes a flying bird. Another person sees it becoming something mechanical. For a generative AI system, the same form may not perform at all.

This contrast is the focus of a new study that examines whether artificial intelligence can truly be creative or whether it only appears to be so.

The study, led by scientists at the University of Barcelona and published in the journal Advanced Science, did not test whether AI could produce a convincing painting or imitate a famous style. Something more difficult has been asked: Can AI itself produce truly original visual ideas without being told what to think?

The short answer is no. Not yet. Not even close.

The team…