Steve Jobs famously described the computer as a “bicycle for the mind.” In an interview decades ago, he compared the efficiency of various species traveling a mile, noting that humans were far from the most efficient.
But when you gave a human a bicycle, the energy required to travel that same distance dropped dramatically — surpassing nearly every other creature. He then talked about humans as tool builders.
Jobs used this analogy to explain how computers empower people and “amplify” human creativity, allowing us to do extraordinary things. Looking at technology today, it’s clear his prediction was on the mark. Computers have indeed enabled humans to create, design, and communicate in ways that were once unimaginable. Reach into your pocket (or purse) and grab your smartphone. That phone is far more than a device used to make calls. Personally, I have over 25,000 photos and several thousand videos.
Computers have given rise to entirely new professions — designers, photographers, programmers, content marketers — jobs that simply didn’t exist a generation ago. The same appears likely with AI.
AI: The Next Bicycle of the Mind
Artificial intelligence tools represent another step in human tool building. AI has the potential to democratize creativity in ways that were previously unthinkable.
Just weeks ago, OpenAI released Sora 2 (following Google’s Nano Banana) that similarly focused on image feature fidelity. These systems allow creators to upload a photo of a person and generate remarkably accurate, lifelike images — trying on different outfits, hairstyles, or even placing themselves in imaginative settings, a huge leap from earlier models. You can create fantastical scenes — climbing Mount Everest, eating dinner on the Titanic, etc. — things that defy reality but are fun. These tools give everyone, not just professional artists, the ability to create.
There are dedicated apps for Sora and Meta AI, both of which have a growing amount of AI-generated photos and videos (and a lot of AI slop).
Creative Industries and AI
The implications go far beyond personal creativity. Filmmakers, for instance, can now generate entire scenes — a cheering crowd, a packed stadium — with minimal cost. What once required massive budgets and production teams (here’s a story about the stadiums in Ted Lasso) can now be achieved with AI tools.
George Lucas waited more than 10 years between Star Wars: Episode VI and Episode I because the technology he needed to capture his creative vision simply didn’t exist. After seeing Jurassic Park, he realized that computer-generated imagery had advanced enough to make his vision possible. AI tools have the potential to unlock more creativity for countless filmmakers who aren’t named Spielberg or Lucas.
The Productivity Curve
Economist Jason Furman recently discussed the possibility of a productivity J-curve in relation to AI — where initial productivity may decline as we adopt these tools, but long-term gains will follow.
Filmmakers adopting AI today may not see immediate results — it takes years to produce a film — but these technologies are entering creative pipelines now. In a few years, we should begin seeing the results: imaginative, visually stunning works produced at lower costs. (As an aside, the WSJ reports on the new film company, B5 Studios, that plans to create content more quickly with less expensive.)
The same pattern applies to app development and web creation. Coding agents like OpenAI’s Codex or Anthropic’s Claude Code are dramatically lowering barriers for developers, and Anthropic lists their customers who have built using Claude with impressively good examples. Apple is integrating Claude Code into Xcode, paving the way for a new wave of iPhone apps from creators who previously lacked the resources to build them.
AI in Education and Creativity
For university and educational institutions, these advances offer tremendous opportunities. Creative professionals can produce higher-quality work with fewer resources. Students in creative programs can now create visually rich, engaging projects that would have been technically or financially impossible just a few years ago.
And the possibilities extend beyond visual arts and programming into writing. Every aspiring writer now has access to an editor, proofreader, and creative partner through AI. A budding novelist can write a first chapter and instantly receive feedback, grammatical corrections, and stylistic suggestions. AI becomes a bicycle for the mind — not replacing editors, but extending editorial support to those who previously lacked such resources.
Of course, professional authors like John Grisham and JK Rowling will continue to rely on human editors and publishers. But for new authors, AIcan help them polish their work and realize their creative ideas.
The Human Potential
As leaders, the challenge is to encourage people to see these tools not as job killers or creativity crushers, but as amplifiers of human potential. AI, like the computer before it, can help extend human flourishing.
It’s a tool that can make us more creative, more expressive, and more capable of bringing our ideas to life. Like the bicycle that allows humans to move faster and farther than ever before, AI is the next great vehicle for the mind — empowering us to go places we never could have reached on our own.
