In an era where AI can write poetry, create marketing campaigns and out-analyze entire business teams, the question isn’t whether AI will change creativity — it already has. Creativity in the Age of AI: Toolkits for the Modern Mind, by Wharton marketing professor Jerry Wind, Mukul Pandya, and Deborah Yao, teaches professionals how to harness this shift to augment their skills and stay one step ahead of the technology. The authors argue that creativity isn’t in-born but a learnable skill that becomes more powerful when paired with intelligent machines. Those who learn to collaborate with AI will redefine what it means to imagine, invent, and lead. Following is an excerpt from the book.

Picture this: Your company is losing market share to a nimble startup that seemingly came out of nowhere. Your team is stuck in the same brainstorming loops, producing variations of familiar ideas. Meanwhile, your competitor is leveraging AI to innovate at unprecedented speed. What’s their edge? Creative thinking enhanced by AI.

Or imagine a visionary architect sketching a sustainable city, blending nature with urban life, and with AI assistance, innovative architectural concepts emerge in hours instead of months — living buildings that breathe, streets that generate energy, and communities designed for harmony with the environment. A scientist, driven by curiosity and powered by AI analysis, spots patterns in complex data that others overlooked, leading to a breakthrough in disease treatment. A musician experiments fearlessly, using AI to fuse sounds from different cultures and eras, birthing an entirely new genre that captivates millions.

This isn’t science fiction, it’s happening right now.

This perspective is based on our conviction that while not everyone can match the creative genius of Leonardo da Vinci or Thomas Edison, each of us can nurture and develop our own creativity if we build a toolkit of creativity approaches and enhance it with the use of AI.

The Creative Imperative in Business

In today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, creativity is more than simply a “nice-to- have”; it’s a matter of survival. McKinsey research shows that companies in the top quartile for innovation achieve 2.4x higher revenue growth. Meanwhile, 70% of executives report that their teams struggle with creative problem-solving. The gap between creative leaders and followers is widening dramatically.

Consider the evidence:

  • Organizations using systematic creativity approaches report 25% to 40% faster innovation cycles
  • Teams trained in morphological analysis generate 3x more viable solutions
  • Companies applying trend analysis techniques identify market opportunities 18 months ahead of competitors
  • Businesses that integrate AI-enhanced creativity see productivity gains

Yet most professionals have never been taught how to be systematically creative — until now.

Most professionals have never been taught how to be systematically creative — until now.

For Business Leaders and Professionals: Your Competitive Edge

Whether you’re a CEO navigating industry disruption, a product manager seeking breakthrough innovations, a consultant solving complex client challenges, or an entrepreneur building the next big thing, this book provides battle-tested approaches used by companies like Google, Tesla, Netflix, and Airbnb, with 12 creativity approaches that have been proven in boardrooms, innovation labs, and startup accelerators worldwide.

Professional Impact You’ll Achieve:

  • Lead more innovative teams that consistently outperform competitors
  • Identify market opportunities others miss through systematic trend analysis
  • Reduce time-to-solution for complex business challenges
  • Build a culture of innovation that attracts top talent
  • Leverage AI tools to speed and amplify your ideation and analysis capabilities
  • Transform meetings from time-wasters into breakthrough sessions

The AI Advantage: Your Creative Superpower

Today, we stand on the cusp of an unprecedented explosion in creativity in the age of AI. AI models such as ChatGPT and others act as intelligent collaborative tools that can serve as launchpads for further innovation. They can write, create images, compose music, craft videos, code, brainstorm, research, analyze, and more — capabilities that can supercharge a broad swath of industries. Now, there are AI agents that go beyond AI chatbots to complete multi-step tasks for you autonomously.

But here’s the crucial insight: AI doesn’t replace human creativity — it amplifies it exponentially. Learn to use ChatGPT for rapid prototyping, Claude for strategic analysis, or emerging AI tools for market research, competitive intelligence, and scenario planning. Transform hours of brainstorming into minutes of AI-enhanced ideation. The professionals and organizations mastering AI-human creative partnerships are pulling ahead at lightning speed. The question is: Will you be among them?

Proven Results From Real Organizations

 The approaches have been adopted by organizations that created industry-altering solutions:

  • Netflix used trend analysis (Approach #7) to pivot from DVD rental to streaming, revolutionizing entertainment.
  • Tesla challenged mental models (Approach #1) to redefine the automotive industry and force every competitor to go electric.
  • Amazon’s customer obsession (Approach #7) and experimental culture (Approach #8), exemplifies transformation processes that generated hundreds of billions in value.
  • Airbnb applied morphological analysis (Approach #3) to disrupt the hospitality industry worth $600 billion.
  • Google built a culture of curiosity (Approach #9) that spawned breakthrough products from Search to Android to AI.

AI doesn’t replace human creativity — it amplifies it exponentially.

Historical Context: Why Creativity Matters More Than Ever

Creativity, as we understand it today, has relatively recent origins. MIT Technology Review’s examination of Samuel Franklin’s The Cult of Creativity reveals that our modern understanding emerged primarily after World War II in America.

Creativity became a response to society’s growing conformity and bureaucratization, providing what Franklin describes as “a way to unleash individualism within order, and revive the spirit of the lone inventor within the maze of the modern corporation.”

This historical perspective shows why creativity has become a fundamental value in contemporary society. Silicon Valley particularly exemplifies this trend, valuing creativity precisely because it combines novelty with utility — two elements highly prized in technology markets. As AI increasingly participates in creative processes, understanding this context becomes more relevant. Our definitions and practices of creativity continue to evolve alongside technological and social changes.

Break Free From Institutional Constraints

At this point, you might protest that you’re not the creative type: most of us aren’t Beethovens or Picassos. But you don’t have to be a prodigy to benefit from being dramatically more creative in everything you do, from solving everyday problems to developing breakthrough strategies.

Ironically, the institutions meant to encourage creative thinking are the same ones stifling its emergence. Schools focus on rote memorization and standardized tests, often neglecting creative thinking development. Students are rewarded for conformity and regurgitating information rather than original thought and problem-solving skills. Organizations inadvertently suppress creativity through rigid hierarchies, bureaucratic processes, and resistance to change.

These societal shackles leave us trapped in old mental models that influence how we interpret information, solve problems, and make decisions. These models create blind spots and restrict our thinking to conventional pathways that block innovative solutions.

But here’s the exciting news: Challenging these mental models is the first step to unlocking extraordinary creativity. By changing your mind, you can change your future.

Excerpted from Creativity in the Age of AI: Toolkits for the Modern Mind, by Jerry Wind, Mukul Pandya, and Deborah Yao. De Gruyter, 2025. Reprinted by permission of De Gruyter Brill.