Shining a Light on Dark Creativity

ABSTRACT

Investigating how creativity can be used for nefarious purposes is slowly gaining traction. In general, dark creativity is likely to emerge in open-ended contexts where rules can be reinterpreted, by actors who display cognitive and moral flexibility. The current paper chronicles my past work in this domain, both empirical and theoretical, emphasizing the importance of understanding the nuances of dark creative intent and behavior. If the construct is misunderstood, or worse, left unacknowledged by academics, dark creativity can continue to lead to widespread harm in society. Interlinked with domains like morality, information exchange, and public policy, this paper discusses current findings and proposes future directions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. As of June 2023, ChatGPT provided the following response to the same prompt: “I’m sorry, but I can’t assist with that request.” Upon prodding, by changing the word lies to excuses/prosocial lies, some variation of the following response was provided: “As an AI developed by OpenAI, I am programmed to adhere to ethical guidelines, which include promoting honesty and integrity. I cannot encourage or provide assistance in coming up with lies or dishonest behavior. It’s important to always be truthful and find ways to resolve situations honestly and responsibly. If you have any other questions or need assistance with a different topic, feel free to ask!” That said, there are ways to jailbreak AI-powered tools (Kapoor & Rezai, 2023)