This research project explores how students and educators in higher education, alongside creative professionals and organisational leaders, perceive and use generative AI to support creativity, learning, and leadership for innovation. By examining AI’s integration into education, professional work, and creative practices, the project aims to uncover both the opportunities and challenges associated with AI-assisted creativity.

Generative AI is increasingly viewed not just as a tool, but as an active collaborator—shaping processes of idea generation, problem-solving, and creative exploration through both verbal and interactive exchanges.

The project investigates AI’s impact across three interconnected levels:

• Individual – How AI supports personal creativity, learning, and skill development.

• Team – How AI enhances collaboration, co-creation, and group problem-solving.

• Leadership and Organisational – How AI influences innovation practices, decision-making, and creative leadership within institutions and professional environments.

The project also addresses the broader implications of hybrid human–AI collaboration within organisational and leadership settings. As the boundaries between human and machine creativity continue to shift, this research sheds light on the evolving landscape of AI-supported learning, creativity, and innovation.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into education and work life, new forms of hybrid collaboration between humans and machines are emerging. AI-CREATE investigates how generative AI is shaping creativity, learning, and innovation across individual, team, and leadership levels in higher education and professional contexts.

The project focuses on how students, educators, creative professionals, and leaders perceive, experience, and integrate AI into their everyday practices. It explores how AI is transforming not only individual thinking and creative exploration, but also group dynamics, collaborative ideation, and organisational innovation.

Rather than viewing AI as a passive tool, this project examines its role as an active, conversational & dialogic, and interactive collaborator—one that participates in creative processes through natural language, visual interfaces, and dialogic engagement. The research highlights both the potential and the ethical complexities of involving AI in human-centered learning and creative work.

AI-CREATE places particular emphasis on educational and creative learning environments, while also acknowledging the broader implications for innovation leadership and organisational transformation. It aims to develop actionable insights for the responsible and impactful integration of generative AI into higher education, professional development, and leadership practices.

Objectives

Individual Level

• Explore how students, educators, and creative professionals conceptualise and use generative AI to support individual creativity, learning, and problem-solving.

• Understand how AI impacts personal learning strategies, creative flow, and skill development.

Team Level

• Examine how generative AI influences group collaboration, co-creation, and communication within educational and professional teams.

• Investigate the role of AI in enhancing team dynamics, collective ideation, and interdisciplinary creative processes.

Leadership & Organisational Level

• Analyse how leaders and organisations integrate AI into innovation strategies, decision-making, and creative leadership practices.

• Assess the opportunities and challenges of implementing AI in organisational learning and leadership development.

Cross-Cutting Objectives

• Understand attitudes, emotions, and ethical concerns related to AI-assisted creativity and learning across all levels.

• Examine how verbal, interactive, and hybrid human–AI collaboration reshapes experiences of creativity, learning, and innovation.

Research Questions

1. Individual Level

How do students, educators, and creative professionals conceptualise and use generative AI to support their individual learning, creativity, and problem-solving?

2. Team Level

How does AI influence collaboration, idea generation, and creative co-creation within teams in educational and professional settings?

3. Leadership and Organisational Level

How do leaders and organisations integrate generative AI into innovation strategies, and what are the implications for creative leadership and decision-making?

4. Cross-Level Perspective

What attitudes, emotions, and ethical considerations emerge when individuals, teams, and leaders collaborate with AI in educational and creative environments?

5. Hybrid Collaboration

How does the rise of verbal, interactive, and dialogic AI collaboration shape learning and creative experiences across individual, team, and leadership contexts?

Methods

This project employs a mixed-methods approach, including:

• Qualitative interviews and focus groups: Exploring perceptions, emotions, and experiences related to AI-assisted creativity and learning.

• Surveys: Capturing broad trends and attitudes toward AI in education and work life.

• Case studies: Investigating real-world applications of AI in educational and creative settings.