Generative AI: Problem or Opportunity?
Founding Father John Adams said, “Every problem is an opportunity in disguise.” There’s a human problem with AI. An issue that seems to be growing daily. As AI adoption grows in the workplace, the hope and expectations attached to it by new users are increasingly shifting to confusion and disappointment.
Too many companies are tossing AI tools at their teams like swag at a trade show. No context, no coaching, just 'Here, good luck.' Then, when nothing game-changing happens, they don’t question the rollout; they blame the tech.
A survey by HR consultancy Randstad reported that, although 75% of companies have adopted AI technology, only one-third of employees received AI training in the past year. Really?
Therefore, the opportunity to address this problem is to provide employees with thorough and effective training on the AI tools they’re given to use. Well, who could argue with that? But there's something else going on here.
The current problem, er, opportunity, is less about training and more about understanding.
AI isn’t as smart as we imagine it to be. And that’s actually what makes it interesting.
We waste too much time wondering if it understands us, or expecting it to, like it’s some sentient co-host waiting to jump in with a hot take. That’s not what it does. That’s not the gig.
The real power of generative AI shows up when a creative human with style, intention, and a goal grabs the wheel. The machine brings the ingredients. We decide what to cook.
Yet, even with that approach, there’s a twist. The longer you use AI to brainstorm, the more it starts to feel like working with one very enthusiastic but oddly repetitive creative partner. Same storylines. Same metaphors. Same punchlines.
Why? Because AI wasn’t built to memorize. It’s built to intelligently internalize massive amounts of information in a way that allows it to recognize patterns in everything. Think of it as a cover band that’s listened to every song ever made. It doesn’t remember every note; it just picks up the rhythm, the structure, the feel. Using generative AI for writing, pictures, video, and ideas is all about pattern, not memory.
That’s a problem for radio creatives. Because when you're chasing fresh ideas, you don’t want five versions of the same thought. You want range. You want wildcards. And while AI can outpace a single person in output, it still struggles to simulate the true magic of a creative room full of different minds and lived experiences.
Multiple studies have confirmed that people often generate better ideas when using AI than when working alone. The “opportunity in disguise” is understanding that AI doesn’t think. It remixes the creativity you bring to it.
If you’re already experimenting with AI in your creative process, you might be thinking, "Ah, I just need better prompts." Maybe. But chasing the perfect prompt can send you in circles.
I’ve built AI assistants that run on everything from a tight paragraph to multi-page instructions. They can crank out solid results, sure. But if there’s no creative spark at the start, no you, then all you’re left with is a well-organized shrug.
Here’s the move: keep it simple. Fire up ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or whatever tool you like, and just start talking. Don’t chase the perfect idea. Start with the one that’s rattling around in your head. The one only you could come up with.
Think it’s half-baked? Say so. Tell the AI what it is, what you want it to do, who it’s for, and what’s holding you back. That’s how you work with it, not as a magic box, but as a collaborator.
When you create with other people, you share meaning, context, purpose, and hopefully, brutal honesty. Talk to AI the same way, especially when it gives you something bland or wrong. Don’t walk away. Tell it what it missed. Show it where to go next.
Be mindful of the difference between creating and being creative. AI looks for patterns when it creates. The weight, joy, and complexity of being human make us creative. The machine doesn’t dream. It just rearranges ours and holds a mirror up to them.
