Should we trust AI as a creative collaborator with Professor Anjana Susarla

Tech Tomorrow

By 2026, Europol estimates that more than 90% of online content could be AI-generated – from music and written work to imagery and beyond. But what does this shift mean for creativity, originality, and the role of human value in the process?

In this episode of Tech Tomorrow, David Elliman speaks with Anjana Susarla, Professor of Responsible AI at the Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University. Together, they explore whether AI can truly be trusted as a creative collaborator in both work and wider society.

Their conversation looks at how the traditional process of drafting and redrafting may change when AI enters the picture, and the rise of so-called ‘AI slop’ – mass-produced, low-quality outputs – in areas such as writing, design, and programming.

They also consider whether agentic AI might one day predict our preferences more accurately than we can ourselves, and reflect on the persistent hype and ‘magic’ surrounding new AI tools, asking what this means for the future of creativity, business, and work.

Episode Highlights:

00:47 – What happens to the iterative creative process when AI is introduced?

02:59 – The polarising reactions to AI tools.

04:03 – Do we even like the creative outputs of AI?

05:16 – David’s thoughts: Can we put a qualitative value on creativity?

06:31 – What was the AI-generated podcast based on Anjana’s paper like?

10:28 – The homogenising effect of AI.

11:45 – Feedback loops and the halo effect.

13:04 – David’s thoughts: AI prediction models.

16:28 – Human oversight in AI creativity.

19:08 – Maintaining the quality of AI-generated outputs.

21:05 – David’s thoughts: What happens when AI tools enter the workplace?

23:08 – AI creativity, brain drain, and deskilling

24:58 – Should we trust AI as a creative collaborator?

About Zühlke:
Zühlke is a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation at its core. We help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – running smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities.

Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in technology strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We thrive in complex, regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance, connecting strategy, implementation, and operations to help clients build more effective and resilient businesses.

Links:

• Zühlke Website
• Zühlke on LinkedIn
• David Elliman on LinkedIn
• Prof. Anjana Susarla on LinkedIn