AI and the Decentering of Disciplinary Creativity

TL;DR

Analyzes how artificial intelligence can shift the center of scientific problem-solving by potentially displacing disciplinary creativity. The paper distinguishes creative approaches from creative products and defines Disciplinary Creativity as the creative application of domain-$\mathcal{D}$-specific expertise to a problem $\mathcal{P_D}$ valued by experts, using two mathematical case studies to illustrate augmentation versus displacement. The $4CT$ case shows computation can be integrated into a disciplined mathematical proof, while the Cap Set case demonstrates a non-domain-specific LLM framework that yields a solution yet displaces the traditional discipline's role. The discussion highlights both the scalability of AI-assisted problem solving and the risk of diminishing the value of disciplinary expertise, urging careful framing of when and how computation should contribute.

Abstract

This paper examines the role of artificial intelligence in scientific problem-solving, with a focus on its implications for disciplinary creativity. Drawing on recent work in the philosophy of creativity, I distinguish between creative approaches and creative products, and introduce the concept of disciplinary creativity -the creative application of discipline-specific expertise to a valued problem within that field. Through two cases in mathematics, I show that while computation can extend disciplinary creativity, certain approaches involving AI can serve to displace it. This displacement has the potential to alter (and, perhaps, diminish) the value of scientific pursuit.