Why failure is a necessary ingredient for success – especially in the age of AI

Swiss tennis player Stan Wawrinka has a quote from Samuel Beckett tattooed on his arm: “Always tried. Always failed. Whatever. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

This excerpt from the novella “Worstward Ho” is motivating and suggests that perseverance is required for success. However, the word “failure” carries weight, especially when used as a label as if it were an integral part of someone.

But in evolution, the creative arts, engineering and education, failure is a process – without which success is not attainable.

“Failure” may actually be a better term than failure, since mistakes lead to deviations. And this variation is important for understanding the uniqueness of human creativity.

Generative AI can create models, award-winning artwork and actors. However, generative AI lacks the artist’s drive to reflect and recognize the importance of why and for whom the art is being created.

If we look at creativity as a process then…