Creativity x GenAI: Week 3

by | Tuesday, February 04, 2025

The second blog post from students in my class on Human Creativity x AI in Education. (You can see the first post here). Just in case you are wondering why this is week 3 and not week 2, we lost one class due to MLK Day.

These posts are an ongoing record of what we are up to each week – and are not edited by me in any way (minor stylistic changes apart).

Here we go.


By: Cathy Chen , Fredrick Ayirah, Gaurav Singh & Poorva Kulkarni

Transforming letter into identity

It all started with changing our group names, and everyone got creative by using the first letter of our group name to come up with a related word—for example, Group B chose “Brainstormers.” The other groups are AI, Catalyst, Dreamers and Energy.

Next, the professor gave us a Kahoot quiz to test our understanding of the course material.

Guess who won the prize? *Drumrolls* It was Catalyst

Experimenting with AI

Ever wondered how AI could make work smoother?

That’s exactly what we as Group B explored in our first-ever  AI sharing session. Despite being new to the task and somewhat clueless about what to do, we embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and curiosity, diving into AI’s potential to perform tasks with some tips and tricks. The task was straightforward, discover and share a practical AI technique that will help everyone in their work.

After the Kahoot quiz, the session moved forward with us presenting our tips and tricks. Everyone brought a fresh perspective to the table. Cathy introduced some game-changing tools useful for office workers. Frederick came up with some really cool frameworks of prompt-engineering and Poorva demonstrated AI’s versatility by generating a voice chat that explained Musical rhythmic beats. But the real magic was Gaurav sharing a clever “Auto-prompting” technique for ChatGPT, making AI interactions faster and more efficient.

To know the AI tips & tricks in detail have a look at this document: AI Tips and Tricks

Discussion of readings

We were divided into small groups to discuss various questions posed by Group A. Afterward, we shared our insights with the class. The following questions followed these:

Are we heading toward enhanced understanding and creativity, or risk knowing more but understanding less with AI’s prevalence?

While AI offers vast information, we agree that real understanding and creativity stem from human thought and critical thinking. AI can assist us, but humans make the final decisions.

Is intuition undervalued in society, and how can we better trust or refine these instincts in our personal or professional lives?

Intuition and creativity often lead to breakthroughs before logic can explain them, yet intuition is undervalued in a data-driven society. We can practice mindfulness, reflection, and iterative problem-solving in various settings to enhance our instincts.

Can every job truly be creative, even those in structured or repetitive roles?

We explored whether all jobs can be creative, including structured roles like assembly line work or data entry. Creativity can manifest through efficiency improvements, problem-solving, and innovative thinking.

This discussion reinforced that while AI is a powerful tool, human creativity, intuition, and critical thinking remain essential in shaping the future.

The Mystery Bag Challenge

The classroom buzzed with curiosity as Group A introduced a mystery-driven activity. Each pair of students received a sealed paper bag, inside which lay an unknown object. Their task? Generate descriptive ideas about the item, market it, and make it memorable.

Step 1: Pure Human Brainstorming

Before using any technology, students were asked to generate a list of descriptive words and ideas about their mystery item. The goal was to push their creativity to the limit without external assistance.

  • Some students rapidly filled their lists with adjectives and creative uses for their item.
  • Others struggled, realizing how much they typically rely on external sources for inspiration.
  • The classroom was filled with laughter, debate, and wild guesses, proving that creative thinking is both fun and challenging.

Every team’s results | Photo credit: Cathy Chen

Step 2: AI as a Thought Partner

After their initial brainstorming, students were allowed to use AI tools to expand their ideas. The results were eye-opening:

  • Some groups found that AI reinforced many of their original ideas, boosting their confidence.
  • Others discovered unexpected suggestions that led to even more creative thinking.
  • A few noticed that AI lacked context and originality, making them appreciate their own brainstorming process even more.

By comparing their human-generated ideas with AI-assisted ones, students gained a practical understanding of how AI can enhance—not replace—creativity. While AI enhances ideas, human creativity gives them meaning.

 Step 3: The Ultimate Pitch

With their refined ideas, each group crafted a mini-commercial pitch for their mystery item. Suddenly, ordinary objects transformed into exciting, marketable innovations and ideas.

One team giving their pitch | Photo credit: Cathy Chen

The Final Vote: Originality Wins

At the end of the activity, the class voted on the most original, compelling, or entertaining presentation. The winning group demonstrated not just creative thinking, but also effective storytelling and persuasive communication.

Winners of the commercial pitch | GIF credit: Cathy Chen

Key Takeaways from the Mystery Bag Challenge

  • Creativity is strongest when students think independently before using AI.
  • AI can be a helpful brainstorming tool, but human intuition is irreplaceable.
  • Blending hands-on activities with technology makes learning more engaging and effective.

Exploring Creativity with AI

Ever feel stuck when trying to come up with ideas?

Maybe you’ve sat there staring at a blank page, waiting for inspiration to hit. Or maybe you’ve had too many ideas swirling around and no clue where to start. That’s exactly the kind of creative block we explored in our final class session—with a little help from AI.

The task was simple: get hands-on with AI tools and start experimenting with how they can support creative work. We weren’t expected to build a fully-functioning bot right then and there. Instead, it was all about exploring the tools, testing different AI models, and seeing how tweaking settings could make the bot respond in new and interesting ways.

The outcome?

By the end of the session, we’d explored some incredible ideas—from practical solutions to wildly creative experiments. It was clear: AI isn’t just about automation; it can spark entirely new ways of thinking.

Experimenting with AI models and creative ideas

We kicked things off with a simple question

What creative daily practice would you like a bot to help with?

The responses were as varied as the participants, each idea reflecting a unique way AI could enhance creativity.

One group envisioned a meal-planning bot that suggested dishes and creative plating ideas. Another explored AI for structuring brainstorming sessions and keeping discussions on track

Once we had our ideas, it was time to test the AI. Using ASU’s My AI Builder, we experimented with different models, each designed for different tasks. Some worked best for quick, simple responses, like generating brainstorming lists, while others handled more complex prompts, offering detailed feedback.

Comparing their strengths and weaknesses made for an interesting challenge.

All ideas served as sparks for inspiration and the start of what we will pursue throughout the semester.

Beyond choosing a model, adjusting settings made a huge difference. Basic settings offered simple, predictable responses, while advanced options, like tweaking the “temperature,” allowed for more creative or structured outputs.

The energy in the room was palpable as everyone shared their thoughts. The point wasn’t to come up with a fully polished bot during the session—it was about letting our imaginations run wild and seeing where AI might fit into our creative lives.

ASU MyAI Builder | Photo credit: Gaurav Singh

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