The Originality Test

Exercise 3: The Originality Test

Layers Used: Layer 5 (Divergence Test)

Building On Previous Chapters

You will apply the Assumption Autopsy technique from Chapter 4 to examine your assumptions about your own originality. Use the Cascade Map from Chapter 3 to trace which ideas in your solution came from which source.

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What You Do

Submit your Draft 2. Ask AI the key originality question: could you have produced this output if given only the original problem? If AI generates something nearly identical to your Draft 2, your work lacked originality. If AI produces something substantially different, you added genuine creative value. Analyze the divergence.

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Your Deliverable

Your Draft 2 (from Exercise 2). The AI-generated independent solution (produced without seeing your work). A Divergence Analysis (200-300 words) identifying: where your solution and AI's solution overlap (these are likely AI-driven ideas), where they diverge (these are your original contributions), and what your solution has that AI's does not (this is your unique creative value).

AI Check Prompt -- Copy and paste into claude.ai or chatgpt.com

I want to test the originality of my solution. Here is the original
problem ONLY (ignore everything I have submitted before in this
conversation):

[paste your chosen scenario]

Generate your best solution to this problem without any prior context
from me.

[GET RESPONSE, THEN FOLLOW UP:]

Now here is my solution that I developed through a combination of
independent thinking and AI collaboration: [paste Draft 2].

Please:
(1) Calculate the divergence: what percentage of my solution overlaps
    with yours vs. is genuinely different?
(2) Identify the 3 most original elements of my solution -- ideas you
    would not have generated independently.
(3) Identify elements of my solution that are nearly identical to your
    independent version -- these likely came from AI, not from me.
(4) Rate the overall originality of my contribution from 1-10.
(5) What is the single most creative idea in my solution?

Finally, complete the Thinking Score Card for this exercise:
Independent Thinking (1-10), Critical Evaluation (1-10),
Reasoning Depth (1-10), Originality (1-10), Self-Awareness (1-10).
For each score, give a one-sentence justification.

What This Teaches You

You learn to measure your own creative contribution objectively. The originality test gives you a concrete answer to the question: "Did I actually create something, or did I just facilitate AI's creation?" This self-awareness is essential for anyone who wants to produce genuine value in an AI-augmented world.