Creativity, curiosity, courage, compassion and communication – the 5 C’s – are the critical human tools that will allow you to thrive in the new innovation economy, according to Aneesh Raman, Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn.
To be alive, is to be creative.
Claudia Rinke
Speaking at CNBC’s 2025 Converge leadership event, Raman said “a new economy is on the way” – he calls it the “innovation economy”.
Instead of generative AI making humans economically obsolete, Raman says it could unlock human potential like never before, not just by creating the space and time for ‘creativity, curiosity, courage, compassion and communication‘, but in fast-tracking ideas that flow from this human state into new solutions and products that can be produced without major capital or teams of experts.
With increased accessibility to AI tools, Raman points to a future where “an entrepreneur in Brazil can prototype a climate technology solution without needing a full engineering team” as a democratised world of innovation shifts the needle from the knowledge economy to the ‘innovation economy’. A future shaped by the minds of the few, those with the ‘right credentials’ to secure capital and market access, giving way to one shaped by a panoply of creative ideas AI can turn into reality.
Unlocking the 5 C’s
In her article for Innovators Magazine, Learn how to optimise your creativity in the age of AI, Claudia Rinke, writes: “Creativity is a profoundly human trait and matters more than ever. To be alive, is to be creative. Generative AI provides amazing tools and pushes creatives to step up their game. To drive and control the co-creation-process with AI, humans need to be their best creative selves.”
To stimulate an “increase in creative thinking” Rinke champions “routines which enhance a mind-body connection and creative flow” citing the “potent endogenous drug cocktail [that] is released by the body during flow states”.
“These states are especially conducive to creative insights, innovative solutions or unique perspectives,” Rinke writes, as she lays out her recommendations for optimising creativity in the age of AI.
Raman’s vision is also shared by Tim Mueller, who writes extensively on the potential of economies powered by creativity. In his Innovators Magazine article: Creativity: the 21st century leadership skill we all need, he insists that: “When curiosity, understanding, and courage is paired with an ability to spot productive departures from the business-as-usual trap, particularly by those in decision-making positions, creativity has the power to help any organisation unleash their innovative potential.”
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