Digital, AI and Creative Thinking in Social Care

This is the second keynote address at the annual Social Care Ireland Conference 2025. Creative thinking is a skill that employers are increasingly seeking from their employers. In 2024 the World Economic Forum reported it is the fastest-growing skill demanded by organisations across professions. Social care is no different. Not only can creative skills encourage people in care to engage more in artistic activities, but also creative thinking is essential to overcome everyday care challenges and seize new opportunities. This keynote will define creative thinking in the context of social care work, and frame it is a skill can that be relearned by professionals in the form of specific techniques and more general good practices. Moreover, it will present how emerging digital technologies, and in particular Artificial Intelligence can be used in simple and secure ways to augment this creative thinking, as one means of broadening our understanding of the social care profession. Professor Neil Maiden of Digital Creativity at the Bayes Business School at City St George’s, University of London, and Director of the Centre for Creativity enabled by AI funded by Research England.