Poets Over Quants: Automation and AI Threats Increase the Value People Place on Creativity

We examine how perceived automation and AI threats (the belief that advanced technology threatens humans’ career prospects) shape workers’ strategies for career preparation. In nine studies ( N = 2,320; three preregistered), we find that perceived automation threat drives people to prioritize creative skills over technical and social skills. A pilot study revealed that people view creativity as less prone to automation and more likely to complement automation. Subsequent experiments confirmed that automation threat leads people to highlight creativity in job applications (Studies 1a–1c), leads STEM students and professional graphic designers to cultivate creative abilities (Studies 2a–2b), and increases jobseekers’ interest in companies that champion creativity (Study 3). People value creative skills in response to the automation threat even when reminded of generative AI’s ability for creativity (Studies 4a–4b). These results suggest that advanced technology steers individuals to prioritize creativity as a skill necessary to compete in the labor market.