"Artificial Writing"

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most provocative technology since the dawn of the internet in the early 1990s.

A firebrand topic, AI has ignited debates across business sectors. It’s earned a place in the headlines of Hollywood’s recent writers’ strike, as fears rise of film and television content created entirely by robots.

So where do I fall on the issue of AI? Do I see doom or do I see boom? Neither. I see the evolution of computers. I see exciting new enhancements and abilities. I see new routes to human efficiency. If Steve Jobs noted the computer was “a bicycle for the mind,” I’ll offer some evolved plagiarism and claim that AI is “a motorcycle for the mind.” In that spirit, I’ve decided to hop on a few artificially intelligent Harleys and take them for a scenic winding drive up the coast, so to speak.

AI is a tool. Like spreadsheets are a tool. Like Photoshop is a tool.

When Photoshop came out, there were traditional art directors and visual types who considered it cheating. Over the years, best practices emerged and it became a vital part of the creative scene. The software itself moved to the background. Imitators popped up. Photoshop is now seen as a tool. It’s the same way I see AI.

If you’ve spent any time playing around with it, maybe you’ve gotten over the parlor trick of it all. Yes, it’s impressive to enter a short prompt and have your screen fill up with an academic sounding 5 paragraph essay in a matter of seconds. Or maybe you want to re-write your New Years family update in the style of Hemingway. Have at it. It’s the writing equivalent of Instagram filters. It’s amusing and changes the surface of what you created, but it still starts with you.

AI needs a lot of hand holding. Especially if you want to deliver something of substance. A lot of these AI fans I see are too easily impressed. With a critical eye, AI’s execution is super pedestrian. They can spit out generic bullet points or cop well-known literary styles. But there is no substance to it.

Sure, it will get better as we collectively thumbs up and thumbs down our results. But I have yet to see any written content that really lights me up. My reactions more range from “meh” to “huh.” Actually, my favorite bits of AI results are the so-called “hallucinations.” Little phrases or strings of sentences that really go off the deep end and relate in no way to what you asked for. Now, that is poetry. But on the whole, AI written content is derivative, shallow and un-engaging. A.K.A. it’s bad writing.

However my review isn’t all bad. (The visual and video side of AI has repeatedly turned my head.) I have found some use cases for this stage of AI. I basically treat it like a creative partner. It’s like being in a writers’ room. You can toss out half thought through ideas or ask for lists of options. Again, there is no genius coming back, but I’ve found it stimulates my thought and keeps the creative wheels turning.

With this in mind, I’ve create a quick breakdown of what AI can and can’t do. I’ll revisit this periodically, but here is the snapshot as of August 2023.

What AI CAN DO

1. Providing options for better decisions: AI can spit out a bunch of choices, fast. When you come to a turning point in a story or piece of writing, you can ask AI for dozens of options for what could happen next. Then it’s volleyed over to you to act as editor and determine what the best option is. It's like having a digital brainstorming partner, offering a range of options from a different perspective that can lead to more creative solutions.

2. Revealing the flip side: AI can quickly spit out very basic or “first thought” ideas. Doing this early on can save you time by showing you what the obvious answers are. So you can avoid them. Maybe the contrarian idea to some of these thoughts can turn into an unexpected way forward. By using AI as a "bad version" generator, it steers us away from obvious solutions and into more creative paths.

3. Laying the foundation: AI can assist in creating broad outlines and structures for various projects. It's like having a virtual architect that helps you build a solid foundation before delving into the details, ensuring a coherent and organized approach. With the thirty thousand foot view in place, it’s up to you and your human ingenuity to add spark and nuance to the work.

4. Enabling new perspectives: AI can help us zoom out and see the bigger picture, offering alternative viewpoints that we might not have considered. This fresh perspective can be invaluable for breaking out of mental ruts and finding innovative solutions.

5. Generating flash lists: AI can quickly compile lists of information, condensing complex data into easily digestible formats. In longer form writing like screenwriting or working on a novel, AI can serve as a shortcut to some of your research. By asking it to recall details from a certain subject or time period, you can then hand select details that will add texture and relevance to your writing. It’s like having a digital assistant that provides rapid summaries, aiding in efficient decision-making.

6. Emulating a blogging voice: AI can mimic the tone and style of a generic blogger, delivering content in a consistent and approachable manner. While it might lack the human touch, it can still provide valuable insights and information. This may prove helpful for a smaller company or an understaffed team that needs to generate a high volume of written content for discoverability.

What AI CAN'T DO (yet)

1. Crafting succinct and witty short copy: While AI can generate text, it often struggles to capture the nuanced brevity and cleverness that human writers can infuse into concise content. The art of crafting a catchy one-liner or punchy tagline still remains firmly in the realm of human creativity.

2. Producing high-quality scripts: Developing a script that resonates emotionally with audiences requires a deep understanding of narrative structure, character development, and emotional resonance. AI's ability to create compelling and captivating scripts, especially for intricate storytelling, is still a work in progress.

3. Conveying a personal essay: Writing a personal essay involves sharing one's unique experiences, emotions, and reflections. AI struggles to replicate the authenticity and vulnerability that come with personal storytelling, as it lacks the human touch needed to truly connect with readers on an emotional level. Perhaps as more personal versions of AI emerge, we will be able to train our own AIs to learn the stories and anecdotes of our individual lives.

4. Capturing human emotions and nuances: AI often finds it challenging to understand and convey the intricate web of human emotions, tone, and context. It struggles to replicate the empathy and intuition required to recognize subtle emotional cues and adapt communication accordingly.

5. Making subjective and intuitive decisions: While AI excels in data analysis, it struggles when it comes to making subjective choices that require intuition, gut feelings, and understanding of individual preferences. The human ability to make intuitive decisions based on non-quantifiable factors remains beyond AI's capabilities. There are so many examples of human creativity where a decision maker either made a mistake or made a wrong choice. This kind of surprise and illogical revelation is still all us.

Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly a transformative tool that has woven its way into various aspects of our lives. From offering options and perspectives to generating quick summaries and even mimicking certain writing styles, AI is proving to be a versatile partner in our creative endeavors. However, it's important to recognize its limitations. While AI can excel in specific tasks, it still struggles to replicate the finesse of human creativity and emotion. As we continue to explore the dynamic between AI and human creativity, it becomes clear that while AI can enhance our capabilities, it's the unique touch of human ingenuity that sets us apart.

Embracing AI as a co-writer offers us an opportunity to leverage its strengths while cherishing our innate human abilities. The synergy between human creativity and AI assistance can yield remarkable results, allowing us to explore new horizons and streamline certain aspects of our creative process. As we navigate this evolving landscape, it's essential to understand when to harness AI's potential and when to rely on our human touch. By striking this balance, we can forge ahead into a future where technology and creativity merge harmoniously, enriching our work and expanding our creative horizons in ways we never thought possible.

At the end of the day (at least for today) AI is a tool. Where you point it and how you use it requires inspiration and creativity from you. As of today, you won’t be able to inspire greatness with the press of a button. The greatness is still inside of you. AI may be able to help you mine some of that as you work to turn it into gold.

Podcast Reco: M. Night Shyamalan on How I Built This

Check out the inspiring interview with M. Night Shyamalan on How I Built This. It’s a great podcast if you’re not familiar. Usually they focus on entrepreneurs and tech founders, but they’re doing a little series from the Sundance Film Festival focusing on storytellers.

I feel like M. Night Shyamalan gets written off too easily. Because of his mega-success with The Sixth Sense, he’s been branded as some kind of one-trick pony. He’s The Plot Twist Guy. Yes, that was a cool and signature moment that left a cultural dent, but as this interview reminds us, creative people are more than just a signature moment.

In this wide-ranging interview, Shyamalan breaks down his creative process. He talks about how he carves two hours out every morning to focus on writing. But he goes easy on himself. He allows himself to stare at the wall. He creates a safe space for himself and doesn’t apply un-needed pressure. His only rule is he can’t be productive in non-writing ways. Either his pencil moves, or he works out thoughts in his head. For two hours. Every morning. It’s a solid practice.

He also talks about his early beginning in film making. He grew up with a Super 8 camera and would essentially make his own versions of his favorite movies. Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Star Wars, etc. He says that looking back on those experiments, he realizes he missed the most satisfying part of filmmaking, the creativity. He realized that his imitations kept him busy, but they weren’t fulfilling. It wasn’t until he started trying to tell his own stories that something sparked inside of him. Since then, he’s never looked back.

When asked about Hollywood’s lack of diverse voices in storytelling, Shyamalan said he didn’t wait for a seat at the table, but he brought his own seat and tried to make the table longer. I thought that was a pretty unique and inspiring take. He says that staying true to your unique background is your power. That you have to commit to telling the story that only you could tell. Rather than trying to tell a story that Quentin Tarantino or David Fincher could tell. What can only come from you?

And finally he touched on how he has stayed creative during the pandemic. And how 2020 was actually his busiest and most productive year yet. He didn’t have to worry about traveling to promote his work, and instead he could just work. He could get his two writing hours in every day. It allowed him to write, produce and direct his next film as well as his next television project. It’s a good reminder of how to take the limitations we’re all facing, and using them to carve out a space to connect deeply with what it is that you do. May we all have more of that in 2021 and beyond.

Pause On Earth Original T-Shirt

Click here to view Pause On Earth t-shirt in the Oyl Shop.

Click here to view Pause On Earth t-shirt in the Oyl Shop.

Together We Stand Apart

Direction: @mackshepp  
Copywriter: @oylentertainment
Production Support: @nozosandy
#viewfinder @stinkfilms

Little Routines and Deep Breaths

Without places to go and people to see—time has a way of flattening out. It’s important to create little spikes of nowness in your day. Little moments just because. To have some control over something. To fight a vague sense of dread with a specific burst of passion. Even if it’s just for five minutes. It’s important that we reclaim what we can. Reclaim what is ours. To be present and take back now.

Me, I reclaim my creativity with short writing and drawing breaks. I enter these with no goals in mind—no pressure. I just come to a blank page with a desire and willingness to create. That's what gets me going. I lay down some brushstrokes or colored pencil or start flowing sentences from my pen. Sometimes it leads somewhere else. Sometimes it completes itself. The victory lies in actually carving out the time. Reconnecting with your intentions. Taking back what matters to you. The things that make you breathe.



What are you doing to take back your now?

Summer Sketchbook Pages #1

John C. Jay on Pushing the Boundaries of a Creative Career

In this podcast, Jeff Staple interviews John C. Jay and traces the career steps and creative risks he took at each step. John C. Jay is the former Global Creative Director of Wieden+Kennedy and the current President of Global Creative at Fast Retailing (Uniqlo). This podcast episode is a must listen for anyone interested in creativity, branding or business. I was lucky enough to have John as one of my first mentors in advertising. He always told me “Don’t make an ad. Make art.” It’s an inspiring viewpoint from a self-proclaimed “outsider.” John is drawn to advertising by the talented creators he can collaborate with, but he has always aspired to something beyond advertising. If you’re not familiar with John, he’s well worth googling to trace the influence he’s had on Nike and the creative industry. He is constantly digging for new, undiscovered and overlooked voices. He then cultivates that talent and collaborates with them on the brightest brand stages. This episode is full of inspiration on how to follow your gut, build a powerful network and push your creative career to new heights.

Check out the full episode here.

Below is one of John’s first pieces of work on Nike. It was part of a massive, hyper local New York City basketball campaign that included loads of posters and videos featuring local street legends. It was the first “city attack,” which years later has now become a standard client brief.

Is This Heaven? No, It's Rural Japan...

Many moons ago, Nike was thinking about producing baseball gear and they brought me in to test their prototypes. I came into campus, took some BP, threw some long toss and gave detailed feedback about how I felt. A couple of weeks later, they’d make some tweaks and we’d do it again. It was a dream gig for a high schooler. After that, I continued pushing my baseball career until I eventually had a major league tryout as a pitcher. A few weeks ago I found myself on a pristine baseball field in rural Japan, shooting an amazing 15-year old female baseball pitcher for a Nike commercial. It was one of those Field of Dreams type moments of nostalgia where you think about the journey and are grateful for all the talented teammates you’ve been lucky to have along the way. Thank you to @atlasfoto for your eye and soul capturing this personal moment of reflection in the middle of our intense work grind.  ️