Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world of creativity faster than ever. What once required advanced technical skill or years of design experience can now be achieved through a simple prompt or a voice command. As AI-powered tools become mainstream, they are not just changing how people create — they are redefining who gets to create.
Govind Balakrishnan, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Adobe Express, believes this shift will “lower the barrier to creativity” while simultaneously “raising the bar for quality.” His perspective highlights the dual impact of AI: empowerment and expectation.
Breaking Down the Creative Barriers
For decades, creativity was limited by technical skill. Only those who mastered design software or editing tools could bring their ideas to life. But with the arrival of AI-assisted content creation, those barriers are disappearing.
Modern tools like Adobe Express with built-in AI assistants allow users to simply type commands such as “remove the background,” “make it look more tropical,” or “add festive text.” The software then executes complex design tasks automatically.
This new wave of AI democratizes creativity — giving entrepreneurs, students, small business owners, and content creators access to professional-level design and storytelling capabilities without needing to be experts.
More Creators, More Content — and More Competition
While AI opens the doors for everyone to create, it also leads to an explosion of content. The internet will soon be overflowing with designs, videos, and posts generated by millions of creators.
As Balakrishnan explains, when the barrier to creation goes down, the bar for consumption naturally goes up. Audiences will become more selective. People will expect originality, emotional connection, and high production quality — not just pretty visuals.
This means that while AI makes it easier to produce content, it also makes it harder to stand out.
The Shift from Skill to Storytelling
In the past, creative professionals were valued for their technical abilities — how well they could use Photoshop, edit videos, or animate graphics. But now, as AI takes over those repetitive tasks, the true value lies in imagination, storytelling, and taste.
Balakrishnan points out that “the value of skill itself is lower,” but that’s actually good news. It means that anyone with a story or vision can express it beautifully. The focus now shifts from “Can you use the tool?” to “Do you have something meaningful to say?”
For marketers, content creators, and businesses, this is a major turning point. Creativity becomes less about execution and more about insight, emotion, and context.
Curation: The Next Frontier
The abundance of AI-generated content will make discovery and curation crucial. In a world overflowing with visuals, videos, and posts, audiences will need guidance — voices they trust to help them find quality.
Creators and brands who can filter the noise, select what truly matters, and deliver meaningful stories will gain an edge. As Balakrishnan notes, “the more content that exists, the more valuable curation becomes.”
The Future of Creative Expression
AI is not replacing human creativity — it’s amplifying it. It’s turning creative expression into a universal skill, where ideas take center stage and execution becomes effortless.
However, this shift also demands responsibility. As tools become more powerful, creators must ensure authenticity, originality, and ethical storytelling. The future will belong to those who combine human emotion with AI precision.
In essence, AI isn’t just making creativity easier — it’s making meaning more important.
Key Takeaways
- AI democratizes creativity — anyone can now design, write, or produce with ease.
- Quality will be the new differentiator — as quantity explodes, audiences crave originality.
- Storytelling beats skill — emotion and context matter more than technical expertise.
- Curation is king — finding and highlighting what matters adds real value.
- AI amplifies, not replaces, human imagination — it’s a tool for expression, not substitution.
Conclusion
AI-assisted creation marks a defining moment in the history of art, marketing, and communication. It empowers millions to tell their stories in ways never before possible. But it also challenges creators to rise above the noise, to craft work that moves, inspires, and connects.
The future of creativity is not about humans versus AI — it’s about humans with AI, shaping a world where imagination truly has no limits.