How to stay creative while using AI?

AI has reshaped many industries, becoming a powerful tool for automating tasks and improving efficiency. While it offers immense potential to enhance creative processes, there’s a valid concern that over-relying on AI might lead to a loss of originality or human touch. So how can you continue to develop creativity while utilizing AI tools? Let’s dive into some practical tips.

Prefer to listen to a deep dive on this topic? Listen here.

1. Use AI as a Starting Point, Not the Finish Line

AI’s primary strength is generating quick solutions based on vast amounts of data. However, true creativity comes from human intuition, emotion, and vision. Use AI as a co-pilot to your creativity and let it assist you by offering suggestions, but don’t let it take control.

For instance, when AI generates ideas for content or visuals, don’t simply accept them as they are. Think of it as a creative collaborator. You should be refining, tweaking, and evolving what the AI gives you. AI can give you a spark of inspiration, but it’s up to you to turn that spark into something extraordinary.

Pro tip: Take AI outputs as a rough draft and spend time making it your own by injecting your personality, vision, and insights.

2. Prioritize Simplicity and Clarity in Communication

AI often generates content that is either overly technical or filled with jargon that doesn’t connect with readers. Keep your content simple and accessible. Remember, most audiences prefer straightforward language, with research showing that content written at a 7th-grade reading level tends to rank higher and engage better.

This doesn’t mean dumbing down your ideas, but making sure that they’re easy to follow. Avoid unnecessary complexity and be mindful of sentence and paragraph length. Long, winding paragraphs can overwhelm readers and lower engagement, while clear and concise writing keeps your audience engaged.

Pro tip: Regularly review AI-generated content and cut down any fluff or excessive technical terms to make your message clearer.

3. Challenge the Suggestions

AI operates on patterns and data it has been trained on. As a result, it can sometimes produce content that feels formulaic or lacks originality. To stay creative, challenge the AI’s predictable outputs. If the AI suggests a familiar or overused concept, try to think outside the box and ask, “What can I do differently?” or “How can I make this more unique?”

Creativity is all about breaking free from established patterns. While AI can provide a solid foundation, it’s your responsibility to push the boundaries of those ideas and transform them into something fresh and innovative.

Pro tip: Regularly brainstorm ways to modify AI-generated ideas. Look for unexpected connections, novel formats, or unique angles that set your content apart.

5. Embrace Imperfections and Happy Accidents

One of the most exciting aspects of creativity is that it often comes from unexpected places—imperfections, mistakes, or "happy accidents." While AI is optimized for accuracy and efficiency, it doesn’t always leave room for experimentation or organic creativity.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the results that AI generates. Sometimes a strange or imperfect outcome can spark new ideas or lead you in an exciting direction. By embracing these moments of imperfection, you can inject a sense of authenticity and creativity into your work.

Pro tip: Use AI outputs as a playground for experimentation. Explore different variations, and don’t be afraid to diverge from what’s “perfect.”

6. Understand Your Audience Better Than AI Does

No matter how advanced AI becomes, it still lacks the deep understanding of human emotions, cultural nuances, and context that you have. This understanding is essential to creating content that resonates on a personal level with your audience.

While AI can help with tasks like data analysis and content generation, the final message needs to be shaped by your empathy for your audience. Stay connected to the emotional and cultural factors that influence your audience’s decision-making and focus on creating content that speaks to their unique experiences and needs.

Pro tip: Tailor AI-generated content by keeping your audience’s preferences in mind. Personalize the tone, style, and context based on your intimate knowledge of their needs.

7. Avoid AI-Like Structures and Overused Phrases

AI often resorts to generic structures and phrases that can make content feel robotic or impersonal. Avoid using phrases like "whether you like this or that" or unnecessary analogies, which can come across as predictable or cliché. Instead, focus on authenticity and a conversational tone that feels natural.

By actively choosing human-first phrasing, you ensure that the content remains engaging and relatable. This will not only improve user experience but also help your content stand out in a sea of AI-generated materials.

Pro tip: Regularly audit AI-generated content for phrases that feel formulaic and replace them with more conversational, personalized language.

8. Maintain Creativity Through Continuous Learning and Experimentation

AI is constantly evolving, and so should your creative approach to using it. Stay updated on the latest trends, tools, and methods to get the most out of AI, but never lose sight of your creative instincts. Continuously experiment with different ways of using AI—whether it’s for ideation, content creation, or even enhancing design elements. Keep pushing your boundaries, and let AI be an evolving part of your creative toolbox, not a static solution.

Pro tip: Regularly explore new AI features, and combine them with creative techniques that you already use, so you maintain control over the creative process while making the most of AI.

9. Incorporate Actionable Insights for Your Audience

Adding a key takeaway or action point is a simple but highly effective way to keep readers engaged and provide value. Break up long sections with lists, bolding important points, or using tables to enhance the user experience. Adding these touches can also increase the time readers spend on your page and improve SEO performance.

Studies show that adding key takeaway sections to articles reduces bounce rates by 30% on average. By including actionable insights that readers can use immediately, you offer more than just information, you also provide solutions.

Pro tip: Structure content with takeaway points at the end of each section to ensure readers leave with clear, actionable steps.

Staying creative while using AI doesn’t mean allowing the technology to replace your vision. Instead, it’s about harnessing AI as a powerful tool to enhance and support your creative process. This way, you can discover new levels of creativity while delivering content that resonates deeply with your audience.

‍