Broadcast on November 22, 2025
Generative AI and Creativity: Avoiding the Convenience Trap
Matthew Worwood
University of Connecticut
Description
Generative AI is a multi-purpose technology with numerous known and emerging applications in education. Already, it is being used as a writing tool, a reading aid, an assessment resource, and a chatbot that provides feedback and supports idea generation. As we continue to explore best practices for integrating this technology into the classroom, it is essential to prioritize our understanding of creativity in learning to mitigate the impact of the Convenience Trap—the risk of diminishing students’ engagement in divergent and convergent thinking. This presentation examined two GenAI scenarios, analyzing their potential effects on the cognitive process and considering the long-term implications for mini-c and little-c creativity in education.
About the presenter
Matthew Worwood is a creative academic who engages in traditional scholarly research and creative content production. He received his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University, where he focused on the intersection of technology and creativity in teaching and learning environments. Matthew’s active research explores the emergence of generative AI and its influence on the creative and learning process; he is currently co-editing a book titled Generative Artificial Intelligence and Creativity: Possibilities, Precautions, and Perspectives and co-hosts the Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast, which has consistently ranked in the top 3% of podcasts. Matthew is also the director of Digital Media CT, a statewide collaboration of higher education programs committed to supporting a talent pipeline in creative content production. He currently leads the production of a series of short documentary roundtables as part of his passion project called Teacher Roundtables. This work facilitates conversations among educators on timely education topics. Matthew continues to publish on topics related to creativity, design thinking, and education technology and consults with education companies and K-12 schools, focusing on learning design and cultivating creativity in teachers.