Your Wish Is My Command? Letting GenAI Out of the Bottle to Channel Employee Creativity

Generative AI (GenAI), a subcategory of Artificial Intelligence (AI), leverages machine and deep learning algorithms to produce original content in various formats, including text, images, video, and sound (e.g., ChatGPT, Midjourney). An intuitive interaction through natural language commands (prompts), in combination with an element of surprise in the generated output, has fuelled widespread enthusiasm for GenAI. Yet the quality, originality, and value of the output vary based on user commands and training data. This often raises questions about consistency and optimal use of GenAI, especially compared to the established uses of AI. Meanwhile, while the predominant application of AI in the workplace is focussed on predictable algorithmic models for task automation and work efficiency, this attention towards automation has also led to questions about meaningful work and employee contribution at work. In this chapter, we explore the emerging affordances and malleability of GenAI to produce original and useful output, often associated with a creative act. To differentiate it from the tool-for-the-task usage of AI (e.g., credit rating), we position GenAI as a medium—a channel for exploration, innovation, and creative experience at work—a shift to more human-oriented work participation in a digitalised environment.