CRAiSH – Creative AI Shock Block

The CRAiSH – Creative AI Shock Block-phenomenon describes a psychological dynamic that became epidemic worldwide in 2025, as human creative agents across various fields became increasingly aware that their creative output was already inferior to, or would soon be surpassed by, output from various AI systems.This phenomenon began a few years earlier and initially affected professional creatives, who often reacted with shock as they realized that the evolution of AI was irreversible and far exceeded their abilities.

The phenomenon had started a few years before and mainly afflicted professional creatives, who often reacted with shock as they realized that the AI evolution is irreversible and far surpasses their abilities. Some of the shock stages can be seen in the Go master Lee Sedol, one of the best Go players in the world, known for his creative and aggressive style of play. Generally, Go is considered to be a strategic game with endless possibilities, and top players would describe their skill as an artistic expression.

After his defeat against the AI program AlphaGo, Lee Sedol said: “I’ve never felt this pressure before” (pre-shock stress phase)
“I underestimated its power, and I regret that.” (early realization phase)
“Even if I become the number one player again, there is an entity that cannot be defeated” (late realization phase)
“It was a valuable experience, but it left me deeply shaken” (early shock phase)
“I felt a kind of beauty in its play” (early admiration phase)
“The program that played online (AlphaGo Master, the predecessor of AlphaGo) is like a god.” (late admiration phase)