How to hack your creativity as a researcher (with a little help from AI)

Let’s face it: sometimes the stereotypes are right. Most researchers weren’t hired for their creative flair. We’re experts at precision, not necessarily Picasso. Our comfort zone is the Methods section, not the mood board. But creativity isn’t a personality trait, and isn’t only about talent - it is, to a large extent, a skill. And just like coding or microscopy, it can be learned, practised, and (here’s the fun part) amplifiCreated with generative AI. Whether you’re dreaming up a figure, a graphical abstract for a ‘Wow!’ poster, a social media post, or your next big experiment, AI can become your personal creativity coach - one that never sleeps, never judges, and always throws out 50 ideas when you only needed one.

1. Ask ‘What if?’ (brainstorming at epic scale)

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude are perfect for fast-paced brainstorming at a grand scale. The trick is to be bold. Like the character Eames says in the movie Inception: “You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.”

Instead of asking AI "How do I improve this?", ask:

"What would need to change for this [research element] to have 10x the impact?"

This works beautifully for researchers because it:

• Forces thinking beyond traditional constraints

• Reveals hidden assumptions about scope and reach

• Generates genuinely novel approaches

• Creates emotional engagement (researchers care deeply about impact)

Where to apply it

Researchers can use this prompt on:

Research scope: "What would need to change for this study to have 10x the impact on my field?"

Dissemination and translation: "What would need to change for 10x more people to understand, use, and act on my findings?"

Methodology: "What would need to change for this method to be 10x more scalable?"

Collaboration: "What would need to change for this project to involve 10x more diverse perspectives?"

Let's use an example familiar to most researchers:

Original:

"I'm presenting my cancer research findings at a conference poster session. Help me with…"

10x Prompt:

"What would need to change for my research findings to reach and influence 10x more people?"

AI might suggest:

• Transform the poster into an animated video abstract that journals and media can share

• Create a plain-language version for patient advocacy groups

• Develop an interactive web tool where other researchers can apply your methodology

• Partner with science communicators to create content in multiple formats

• Host a webinar series explaining implications to clinicians

• Build a coalition of labs to amplify and extend the work

The beauty is that even if you only implement one or two of these ideas, you've dramatically expanded your impact beyond the traditional poster session.

The goal isn’t to let AI think for you, but to dramatically expand your own creative thinking - to have a dialogue that shakes loose the dust on your own imagination.

2. Generate variations, iterate - and think like a designer

Designers rarely settle on the first draft. They explore dozens of variations before choosing the one that “clicks.” You can easily do the same with AI.

Ask your text-to-image tool (like ChatGPT or Google’s Nano Banana) to generate five different visual interpretations of the same idea - say, “antibiotic resistance as a battle scene”. Then pick what works, mix elements, and iterate. You’ll start to see more possibilities - and learn how professional visual thinkers approach creative iteration.

Another excellent way to use AI to determine design elements is through the concept of mood-boarding. This involves collating visual ideas, references, and possible styles, then selecting what works and clicks to move forward with. See the example below.

Here is a mood board example we recently developed for a video we're making where, for the first time, we are experimenting with AI-generated artwork. It helps to see if the visual direction generates the right emotional response. And yes, it is supposed to look messy! Tool name: Morphic.

Previously, mood-boarding involved manually gathering dozens of reference images you liked from across the web. Pretty time-consuming stuff. Now, AI has introduced a new way of mood-boarding by generating multitudes of style options and references rapidly.

3. Learn creative skills faster (and much cheaper)

Want to learn colour theory, composition, or storytelling? You don’t need to enrol in design school anymore (especially not for the basics) - you can learn by doing with AI.

AI can’t replace artistic intuition, but it’s a fantastic coach for creative principles. And beyond just asking for a quick lesson or explanation, both ChatGPT and Gemini now have ‘guided learning’ modes, designed to act like a tutor, teaching you skills in easily digestible, bite-sized chunks (according to your own level of knowledge). If you’re not keeping up, just tell the AI to slow down the pace. See the example in Gemini below.

Google Gemini and similar LLMs have a “Guided Learning” mode, which is great at teaching you new concepts bit by bit in an interactive way.

4. Remix and combine ideas across disciplines

Many breakthrough ideas come from cross-pollination - taking an idea from one field and adapting it to another. AI excels at this because it draws on patterns from everywhere.

Try prompts like:

“What would happen if immunology met architecture?”“Give me analogies between ocean currents and data flow.”“Is there another scientific field with a hypothesis that reflects my own?”“Search online and help me think of a fresh perspective to tackle this research problem from (that hasn’t yet been studied).”

The stranger, the better. You’ll surprise yourself with novel metaphors, interesting visuals or ‘mad scientist’ multidisciplinary theories that perhaps no one else has considered. You will still need to do (most of) the thinking once an idea sticks out, but it can help you make interesting leaps and novel linkages and make your science more memorable - and your audience more engaged.

Remember this quote from Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, by Austin Kleon:

“What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original.”

“Create a digital image of 1s and 0s (computer binary) visualised as a rolling wave crashing on the shore.”

5. Collaborate with AI, don’t compete with it

Think of AI not as a rival artist, but as your creative sidekick.

It handles the grunt work - generating dozens of drafts, cleaning up messy brainstorms, perfecting your sketches - so you can focus on what only a human can do: vision, story, emotion. The real science, and the feels.

Use AI to explore the possibilities, but let you decide what feels right.

Because creativity isn’t about perfection - it’s about curiosity, play, exploration, and daring to make something new.

6. Bonus: Build your creative muscle with micro-challenges

Creativity grows with practice - and so does our ability to use AI as a creative partner. The more you involve AI in your brainstorming, designing, and problem-solving, the more natural it becomes to think expansively, iterate quickly, and explore ideas you might never have considered on your own.

Try these mini-exercises:

• Generate five metaphors for your research and pick the best one to illustrate using genAI.

• Ask AI to turn your latest abstract (or the gist of an interesting recent paper you discovered) into a comic strip.

• Create 5 title variations for your next paper, each in a different tone (serious, funny, catchy…).

• Use AI to reimagine your research as a children's book

Over time, you'll train yourself to bring your AI companion along for a diverse range of tasks, from brainstorming and writing to designing and problem-solving.

Final thoughts

AI isn’t replacing creativity. It’s amplifying it.

For researchers, it’s the fastest way to close the gap between analytical and imaginative thinking. Between logic and art.

So next time you’re stuck, don’t wait for the muse. Open your favourite AI tool, type a wild idea, and hit generate.

Who knows? Your next creative breakthrough might be only one prompt away.

Want to unlock your creative side with AI?

Check out our online course AI for Researchers where we show you how to get the most out of AI tools while staying away from the many pitfalls that could ruin your reputation.