The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Development of Creativity Skills According to Teachers and Students

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education has renewed debates on the nature of creativity. This study examines the role of artificial intelligence in the development of creativity skills among middle school teachers and students through comparative perspectives. Using a qualitative case study design, the research involved 87 participants—42 teachers from different subject areas and 45 eighth-grade students—from public middle schools in Bursa, Turkey, during the 2025–2026 academic year. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed via content analysis. The findings reveal that AI plays a dual role in the creative process: it facilitates idea generation and imagination, yet may restrict originality when used without pedagogical guidance. While students tend to view artificial intelligence as a tool that accelerates production, teachers emphasize risks such as cognitive offloading and superficial learning. Artificial intelligence becomes an effective educational tool only when embedded within ethically grounded, teacher-guided, and AI literacy–oriented frameworks. Subject-based analyses show that, particularly in Science and Mathematics, teachers position AI as a supportive cognitive partner that facilitates visualization and conceptual understanding, yet caution that unguided use may replace deep learning with surface-level content production.