Ai tools currently only raise the skill floor. I want them to raise the ceiling too.

Rethinking AI Tools: Elevating Creativity Beyond Basic Skill Enhancement

In the current landscape, AI tools predominantly serve to elevate the baseline skills, making complex tasks more accessible but often failing to push users toward new heights of innovation or creativity. While this improvement is valuable, it often results in a plateau rather than a true leap forward. What we need are AI solutions designed to expand the upper limits—the ceiling—of what we can accomplish.

Many of the existing Large Language Model (LLM) and diffusion-based tools tend to be repackaged versions of similar functionalities, providing little differentiation beyond initial novelty. What excites me are tools that actively “observe” our workflows, offering intelligent assistance that not only automates mundane tasks but also critiques, suggests, and ultimately enhances our creative process.

Imagining AI as a Collaborative Partner

Coding: Imagine working on refactoring a complex state machine. Instead of manually changing dozens of files, an AI interface could monitor your edits in real-time, warn you when a change might introduce issues, or propose automated adjustments across your codebase—all while you remain in control of the process.

Design: When adjusting an element on a webpage, traditional tools simply let you drag and drop. An advanced AI could understand the context—asking insightful questions to clarify your intent or suggesting modifications that influence the entire design. Instead of trial-and-error iteration, you’d have an intelligent collaborator guiding your creative choices.

Music Production: Suppose you insert a segment into a track that seems perfectly timed but slightly off in feel. An AI could analyze the region, compare it to typical patterns, and suggest or automatically apply tweaks—offering options like “try this version,” “accept the AI’s suggestion,” or “keep it as is.” This hands-on assistance would enable musicians to experiment more freely and craft more cohesive compositions.

The Future of AI in Creative Work

Rather than merely raising the skill floor—making tasks easier—future AI tools should aim to elevate the ceiling, empowering users to reach new levels of innovation. These companions would observe our work, offer constructive guidance, automate complex adjustments, and challenge our assumptions, transforming AI from a simple aid into a true creative partner.

If this perspective resonates and aligns with your interests, I’m eager to hear your thoughts and whether this community is the right place for such discussions.