Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of daily life. Numerous studies have explored its impact, including AI's potential for creativity (Schwartz, 2015) and its role in enhancing human creativity in collaborative AI-human models (Wu et al., 2021). However, a critical question remains unanswered: Does habitual reliance on AI hinder individual creativity? If so, what factors might amplify or reduce this effect?


In this study, participants' habitual AI usage, goal orientations, and self-reported creativity scores were recorded. They then completed an ecologically valid creativity task, measuring outcomes in novelty and usefulness. Results reveal a negative correlation between habitual AI usage and creative output. This negative effect is more pronounced among individuals with a strong learning or mastery goal orientation compared to those with a performance goal orientation. Conversely, individuals with a higher performance goal orientation experience a weaker negative effect. These findings hold true for both novelty and usefulness, even after controlling for self-reported creativity.


This research is the first to investigate how habitual reliance on AI affects actual creative tasks. It also uniquely uses motivational goals to explain this dynamic. Practically, the findings can inform the development of intervention programs, such as metacognitive strategies, to counter the adverse effects of habitual AI usage on creativity. These strategies have broad applications in educational and organizational settings.