Why A.I. Can’t Replace Human Creativity

Sure, A.I. can write screenplays and compose music, but it can’t make human artistry obsolete

Photo: Besjunior/Getty Images

My fingers feel the smooth plastic on the keyboard as I type this sentence.

I hear the rhythmic clatter of the keys.

I know I am human.

But how do you know that?

The words you’re reading right now could have been generated by a machine. It’s possible some of what you’ve read today on your laptop or phone will have been written by a computer. Algorithmic journalism is already widespread and being used by organizations like The Associated Press, Forbes, and the Los Angeles Times.

Sophisticated programs called neural networks first learn the formulae of reporting and then ingest data to create original news articles that are indistinguishable from those penned by their organic counterparts. So far the programs tend to report only on stories that are data-based, like weather, sports, and financial analysis, but as the algorithms grow more sophisticated it’s likely that their reach will extend to every category of news.

And what about the more creative modes of writing?

It’s not hard to believe a computer can understand the relatively simple format of…