Will AI impoverish creativity? A virtue ethical response to the rush towards automation

We argue against the assertion that automation of repetitive work by AI makes space for creative expression and creates opportunities that reduce inequality. This should be of concern to scholars and practitioners of Responsible Innovation, especially those focused on the virtues on the virtues of actors involved in innovation. We argue that experience acquired through repetition is a critical source of knowledge and learning feeding into creative judgement. Automating repetitive work may lead to loss of experience and creativity and reinforce inequalities. We focus on professionals such as physicians and lawyers, who, we argue, participate in communities of practice actively shaping the innovation process. The idea of creativity based on repetition is nurtured in these communities, but this is being challenged by a notion of creativity seeking a radical break with tradition to ‘move fast and break things.’ Therefore, professional associations need to engage in broader reflection over ways to nurture creativity and responsibility.