In a Perspective, Julio M. Ottino describes different classes of creativity and proposes a benchmark for the highest level of creativity. Combinative creativity is the process of combining existing elements to create new solutions, while transformative creativity leads to entirely new frameworks. But beyond the breakthroughs of transformative creativity, according to Ottino, is the “break-with,” a conceptual advance that destroys previous worldviews completely and ushers in a new order. Advances that rise to the level of a break-with include quantum mechanics in physics and cubism in visual art. Although AI excels in combinatorial creativity, Ottino says large language models struggle to be transformationally creative, and their reliance on training data may limit their ability to come up with solutions that represent a true break with the past. The Perspective includes case studies of historical figures who demonstrate creative fluidity, including Filippo Brunelleschi, the 15th century architect and engineer; Galileo Galilei, the 17th century astronomer and artist; Louis Pasteur, the 19th century scientist and lithographer; Jules Henri Poincaré, the early 20th century mathematician and essayist; Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the early 20th century neuroscientist and artist; and Niels Bohr, the early 20th century physicist and art explainer.
PNAS Nexus
Creativity across domains: Thoughts in Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Technology, and Art
1-Jul-2025