Fall 2025
By Scott Pett

As organizations increasingly embrace generative AI (genAI) to boost innovation, a central question remains: Can tools like ChatGPT truly enhance employee creativity? A new study from Rice Business suggests they can — but only when used with the right cognitive approach.

Published in the Journal of Applied Psychology and co-authored by Jing Zhou, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Management, the study finds that genAI — artificial intelligence that can create text, images or other content, like ChatGPT — does not benefit everyone equally. Its impact on creativity depends on how employees manage their own thinking while they use it.

To test this, the authors conducted a field experiment with real employees in an actual organization — one of the first studies to examine how genAI functions in real-world work settings. Because the team used one of the most rigorous methods in behavioral research, the findings offer rare causal evidence of genAI’s impact on workplace creativity.

The results? Employees produced more novel and useful ideas with genAI — but only when they used “metacognitive strategies” like analyzing their tasks, tracking their progress and adapting their approach.

In the experiment, employees were randomly assigned to either use genAI or not while completing creative problem-solving tasks as part of their jobs. Participants then completed a self-assessment to measure their metacognitive strategies. For example, they rated themselves on statements like, “While working toward my goal, I kept track of how effective my approach was.”

Employee outputs were then blindly evaluated for creativity by supervisors and external reviewers. A clear pattern emerged: Employees who said they used metacognitive strategies alongside AI produced more creative ideas. 

“What we found is that AI tools aren’t a creativity machine on their own,” Zhou said. “They can be a powerful partner — but only when employees reflect on their thinking and adjust their approach in real time.” 

The good news for organizations is that metacognitive strategies are teachable. With the right training, employees can learn to plan, reflect and adapt their thinking to use genAI tools more effectively and creatively.

The takeaway is clear: Adopting genAI successfully takes more than just installing new software. It requires training and support to help employees reflect on their processes and think strategically. This study offers a key reminder — it’s not the tools that drive creativity, but how we use them.