The ongoing debate about whether generative AI stimulates human creativity or stifles it has produced passionate arguments on both sides. Proponents point to breakthroughs in ideation and rapid prototyping, while critics warn of homogenization, reduced originality, and over-reliance on algorithms.
A fresh perspective from Harvard Business Review, published on January 6, 2026, cuts through the noise: there is no universal answer. Generative AI can indeed boost employee creativity, but the benefits are highly conditional — and far from automatic.
The article, titled "Why AI Boosts Creativity for Some Employees but Not Others", draws on recent field experiments and highlights a key differentiator: metacognition — the ability to plan, monitor, evaluate, and refine one's own thinking processes.
The Uneven Impact of Generative AI on Creativity
Organizations worldwide are rolling out tools like ChatGPT, hoping to spark more novel and useful ideas in daily workflows — from brainstorming solutions to exploring alternatives and summarizing complex information. Yet real-world results remain mixed. A large-scale Gallup survey cited in the piece found that only 26% of employees using generative AI reported improvements in their creativity.
The core insight from the research: AI enhances creativity primarily for employees with strong metacognitive skills. These individuals treat AI strategically — as a tool to expand their knowledge base, free up cognitive capacity for deeper reflection, and break out of fixed mindsets. In contrast, those with weaker metacognition often accept the first AI-generated suggestion without scrutiny, iteration, or critical evaluation, resulting in little to no creative gain.
A field experiment involving 250 employees at a Chinese technology consulting firm demonstrated this divide clearly. Participants were divided into AI-access and control groups, then tasked with generating ideas evaluated by supervisors and external raters for novelty and usefulness. Employees with high metacognition produced significantly more creative outputs when using AI, while those with low metacognition showed no meaningful improvement — even with the same tool at their disposal.
Two employees using the exact same AI prompt might end up worlds apart: one critically examines the output, requests alternatives, integrates fresh insights, and iterates; the other passively adopts the initial response, leading to mediocre or derivative results.
Metacognition: The Missing Link
Metacognition — often summarized as "thinking about thinking" — involves actively analyzing tasks, monitoring progress, detecting gaps in knowledge, and adjusting strategies on the fly. High-metacognition users leverage AI to gain cognitive job resources, such as better access to information, easier task-switching, and mental breaks that restore focus — all of which fuel creative recombination of ideas.
Low-metacognition users, however, tend to rely on default outputs, missing opportunities to refine prompts, challenge assumptions, or combine AI suggestions with their own expertise. As the authors note, AI becomes a shortcut rather than a thinking partner.
The researchers — including Jackson G. Lu (MIT Sloan), Shuhua Sun (Tulane University), Zhuyi Angelina Li, Maw-Der Foo, and Jing Zhou — emphasize that this is not an inherent limitation of AI, but a human capability gap. Their findings align with earlier 2025 studies showing similar differential effects, where metacognitive strategies enabled more effective prompting, reflection, and adaptation.
A Managerial Challenge — And Opportunity
The article reframes the issue as a leadership priority: simply providing AI access is insufficient. To maximize creative returns, organizations must invest in developing metacognitive skills through targeted interventions.
Practical recommendations include:
- Short training modules on anticipating AI limitations, using planning checklists, and evaluating outputs critically.
- Workflow designs that encourage iteration — for example, generating multiple options, critiquing them, and refining prompts.
- Promoting a culture where employees actively drive AI rather than passively consume it.
The authors argue that these cost-effective steps can help more employees unlock AI's creative potential, turning the tool from a potential homogenizer into an amplifier of human ingenuity.
The Widening Gap — And Lingering Doubts
In essence, generative AI makes the strong even stronger while offering limited uplift to those who already struggle with self-directed thinking. This dynamic risks widening the creativity divide in workplaces, as high-performers pull further ahead.
While training holds promise — metacognitive abilities are teachable through deliberate practice — skeptics question how scalable or ef
fective such programs will be at scale, especially in fast-paced environments where quick outputs are prized over reflective depth.
The piece also subtly touches on broader societal implications: the emphasis on metacognition may explain why some equity-focused advocates express strong reservations about AI. Tools that disproportionately reward existing cognitive advantages could exacerbate inequalities rather than level the playing field.
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Looking Ahead
As generative AI becomes ubiquitous in 2026 and beyond, the real question shifts from "Does AI boost creativity?" to "Who benefits — and how can we help more people join them?" The HBR research offers a nuanced, evidence-based answer: AI is a powerful multiplier, but only when paired with strong human metacognition. Organizations that recognize this and invest accordingly stand to gain the most from the AI era — while those that treat it as a plug-and-play creativity machine may see disappointing returns.
For the full article, visit: https://hbr.org/2026/01/why-ai-boosts-creativity-for-some-employees-but-not-others
