Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly used for creative tasks, but whether and when it supports or undermines creativity is an open question. This article reviews emerging behavioral research on GenAI in creativity and reveals three central and interrelated tensions from this literature: GenAI may (1) increase collective creative productivity while reducing diversity, (2) stimulate idea generation or induce fixation, and (3) enhance or undermine creators' motivation and engagement in creative tasks. Two factors connect these tensions: GenAI's tendency to produce many but insufficiently diverse ideas and the role assignment between humans and GenAI. Together, these insights outline boundary conditions for effective GenAI use and implications for future research.
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Melanie Clegg (2026) studied this question.
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