Is AI Making Us Less Creative?

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1. 01Is AI Making Us Less Creative?

   Good evening. These days, AI can write stories, draw pictures, and even compose music in seconds. This raises an important question: is AI making us less creative? Tonight, I'd like to explore both sides of this debate.

   大家晚安。現在的AI只要幾秒鐘，就能寫故事、畫圖，甚至作曲。這帶出了一個重要的問題：AI是不是讓我們變得比較沒有創造力？今晚，我想從正反兩面來探討這個議題。

2. 02What AI Can Do Today

   Let's start with what AI can already do. Today's tools can write essays, suggest ideas, create images, and compose music. Tasks that once took hours can now be done in seconds.

   我們先來看看AI已經能做到哪些事。現在的工具可以寫文章、提供點子、產生圖片，還能作曲。以前要花好幾個小時的工作，現在幾秒鐘就能完成。

3. 03The Worry

   Many people worry that relying on AI will weaken our own skills. If we always ask a machine for ideas, we may stop thinking for ourselves. There is also a concern that AI-made content will make everything look and sound the same.

   很多人擔心，依賴AI會讓我們自己的能力退步。如果我們總是叫機器幫我們想點子，可能就不會再自己動腦了。也有人擔心，AI做出來的內容會讓所有東西看起來、聽起來都一個樣。

4. 04A Lesson From History

   History gives us a useful perspective. When photography was invented in the 1800s, some artists and critics worried that it would harm painting. Instead, many artists developed new styles that a camera could not copy. New tools often change creativity rather than destroy it.

   歷史能給我們一個很有用的觀點。19世紀攝影發明的時候，有些藝術家和評論家擔心它會衝擊繪畫。結果，許多藝術家反而發展出相機模仿不來的新風格。新的工具往往是改變創造力，而不是毀掉它。

   Source: Charles Baudelaire, "The Salon of 1859" (criticism of photography)

5. 05AI as a Creative Partner

   In my view, the key is how we use AI. When we treat it as a partner, not a replacement, it can actually boost creativity. We come up with the idea, AI offers options, and we make the final decisions.

   我認為，關鍵在於我們怎麼使用AI。當我們把它當成夥伴，而不是替代品，它其實能激發創造力。由我們提出想法，AI提供選項，最後再由我們做決定。

6. 06The Real Risk

   So the real risk isn't AI itself, it's using it passively. If we simply copy the first answer, our skills will fade. But if we question the output and keep practicing, AI can make us sharper.

   所以，真正的風險不是AI本身，而是被動地使用它。如果我們只是照抄第一個答案，我們的能力就會慢慢退化。但如果我們會質疑它給的結果，並且持續練習，AI就能讓我們變得更敏銳。

7. 07Three Simple Habits

   Here are three simple habits. First, think on your own before asking AI. Second, always add your own voice to the final result. And third, keep making some things completely by hand.

   這裡有三個簡單的習慣。第一，問AI之前，先自己想一想。第二，在最後的成果裡，一定要加入你自己的聲音。第三，持續完全靠雙手做一些東西。

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, AI won't make us less creative on its own. It all depends on how we choose to use it. The tool is new, but the question is old: will we let it think for us, or with us? Thank you.

   總而言之，AI本身並不會讓我們失去創造力。一切都取決於我們選擇怎麼使用它。工具是新的，但問題其實很老：我們要讓它替我們思考，還是和我們一起思考？謝謝。