Emotion, Identity & Creativity 2025
This page summarises findings from the Human Clarity Institute’s Emotion, Identity & Creativity 2025 dataset, based on 507 valid responses. The research examines how AI influences expression, identity, and the meaning people experience in creative work.
The dataset captures how people experience a shift in creative processes — including improvements in clarity of expression, changes in perceived originality, and how meaningful work feels when AI is involved.
View the Emotion, Identity & Creativity 2025 Dataset
What the data shows
Four signals stand out in this dataset: AI is widely experienced as improving clarity of expression, many describe a tension between clarity and meaning, creative work is sometimes perceived as less original, and AI influences how some people see themselves and their abilities.
AI helps ideas come out more clearly
Clearer or more fluid expression is reported when AI tools are used.
Creative work can feel easier but less meaningful
AI-assisted creative work is described as easier, but sometimes less meaningful.
Originality concerns are evenly split
Creative work is experienced as less original with AI involvement by a sizeable group, while a similar share disagree.
AI influences how people see themselves
Self-perception and perceived abilities are influenced by AI use for a substantial minority.
Together, these findings suggest that while AI can enhance clarity and expression, it also introduces a tension where ease may come at the cost of perceived meaning and originality.
By the numbers (from HCI data)
Meaning of tasks is actively negotiated
AI influences how meaningful certain tasks or activities feel for a substantial minority.
Clarity gains and meaning loss occur together
Both clearer expression and reduced meaning in AI-assisted creativity are reported together.
Patterns observed in the data
Clarity and meaning can move in opposite directions
Many people report clearer expression when using AI, but this clarity is not always accompanied by a stronger sense of meaning.
Ease can reduce perceived ownership
When creative tasks become easier, some respondents report a reduced sense of authorship or connection to the work.
Identity is influenced for a meaningful minority
AI use is associated with changes in how some people perceive their own abilities and creative identity.
Creative work is being reinterpreted
The data suggest that people are actively renegotiating what counts as meaningful or “real” creative work in AI-assisted environments.
Human Values in Practice
Human Values in Practice examines how clarity about what matters may influence behaviour, energy, and the quality of attention in everyday digital life.
Values vs Noise
Values vs Noise uncovers how busyness and distraction erode purpose — and how reconnecting with values helps people find direction again.
Methodology
This dataset forms part of the Human Clarity Institute’s Human–AI Experience research programme, examining how AI tools influence emotional experience, identity perception, and creativity in everyday use. The study uses a cross-sectional online survey design and focuses on descriptive patterns in how people experience AI-assisted thinking, expression, and meaning-making.
Data were collected on 19 November 2025 via the Prolific research platform from adults across English-speaking countries. Participants provided explicit informed consent for anonymised data publication as part of HCI’s open research programme.
Sampling & participants
- Clean dataset: 507 valid responses
- Countries: United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland
- Eligibility: Fluent English
- Recruitment platform: Prolific
Participants were recruited using platform screening filters. The resulting dataset should be interpreted as a non-probability convenience sample and is not intended to represent national populations.
The cleaned dataset, variable dictionary, and reuse terms are publicly available through the HCI dataset repository: Emotion, Identity & Creativity in the Age of AI 2025 Dataset →