Even before generative AI tools arrived, we were already living in a world in which the barriers to content creation and distribution had been dramatically lowered by social media and mobile apps. Let’s call this era “Creativity 1.0”. Now, AI tools have suddenly and rapidly ushered us into the era of Creativity 2.0, not only by greatly enhancing content production capabilities and efficiency, but enabling creators to develop things that we never knew were possible.
Launched only a few months ago, generative AI ChatGPT has already produced more than 200 AI-generated books available on Amazon’s Kindle store. Even in Japan, where traditional craftsmanship is highly valued, a publisher recently released the first manga drawn entirely by AI. Generative AI is enabling those without practical skills or talent to realize the creative ideas in their imaginations.
At the same time, deepfake AI technology is allowing older performers to overcome the limits of age. For example, the highly anticipated film “Here” by director Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks has been receiving media buzz about how it will use deepfake technology to allow Hanks to play a younger version of himself. Or look at global superband ABBA, who has returned to the stage appearing in their prime through AI and hologram technologies, creating a new hybrid concert experience called “ABBA Voyage” that allows older fans to relive their youth.
As technology continues to overcome limitations related to age and talent, we can expect the landscape of entertainment, IP management, and various forms of content creation to undergo a dramatic seachange. New ideas, experiences, and formats that we had heretofore never conceived of may refresh our perspectives and lead human imagination to new heights.
While AI is indeed disrupting certain fields, it is also presenting us with new opportunities to achieve dreams we couldn’t before. The era of Human Creativity 2.0 is undoubtedly one where we are limited only by our imagination, not by our abilities. The new era we are entering is one in which all humans will be able to unleash their creative powers to the fullest.
