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Creativity Squared: On A.I. and Human Cognition

Dear Creativity Squared Collective —

Hope this finds you well wherever in the world you’re reading this!

Since last week’s newsletter, I’ve been on stage discussing the Imagination Age, A.I., and art for civic engagement at AFTACON 2025 with Dr. Flavia Bastos. And this past Tuesday, we had our June CincyAI for Humans meetup. This is a volunteer organization I co-founded and co-host with Kendra Ramirez — we’re the largest A.I. meetup in the state of Ohio and proud Responsible A.I. advocates, as I mentioned in last week’s newsletter.

One article making the rounds is Time’s ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study. Granted, the study is based on a small sample size and hasn’t been peer reviewed yet, but it still raises important concerns worth noting.

More than a few people have asked me if our abundant future will mirror that of the humans in the Pixar film WALL-E — perpetually entertained, physically inert, and increasingly unable (or unwilling) to think for themselves. Personally, this isn’t the future I want to manifest in the Imagination Age; however, this study indicates that we need to be intentional so A.I. will live up to its promise of amplifying the best of human potential.

Through the experiment conducted, the researchers found that ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and became lazier with each essay they were asked to write, relying more on copying and pasting directly from ChatGPT (as a side note PSA: avoid just copying and pasting content from any LLM for any work or school assignment!).

One silver lining came from participants who were first asked to write an essay without any tools, but then later used ChatGPT, showing good performance and brain connectivity. So if A.I. is intentionally deployed, it could enhance learning, rather than diminish it.

As A.I. makes intelligence more ubiquitous, it will also further elevate the importance of creativity and imagination.

On stage at TED 18 years ago, Sir Ken Robinson asked, “Do schools kill creativity?” (The whole video is worth a watch!) His talk highlights that our current school system in the states was designed for the Industrial Revolution and needs to be updated. And his message is as true as ever when he shares:

“My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”

I couldn’t agree more!

It’s a common phrase to hear that school and college teach you how to think. But where do we learn how to be creative and use our imaginations?

This came up during the Q&A portion of the AFTACON talk I did with Dr. Flavia Bastos — the arts and humanities are needed now more than ever to unlock our creative potential and navigate, interrogate, and translate this transformational technology and time.

Sinéad Bovell eloquently explains in this Instagram Reel why future-focused education must acknowledge that A.I. tools will be used outside of the classroom. As we rethink education for deeper learning, creativity, and critical thinking discussions, we also need to consider the diminishing returns of outsourcing too much thinking to LLMs. Just to be clear: simply copying and pasting from ChatGPT isn’t considered “human in the loop” if that’s the only way the human engages in the LLM output!

A.I. is like a new calculator, but can hallucinate! Before introducing calculators, you learn the fundamentals of math. As we strive to unlock more creative thinking, we also need to avoid skipping over the fundamentals that underpin a strong education.

Zooming out from A.I. for a moment, today is Juneteenth, and all of June is Pride Month. While it’s important not to limit what these represent to just one day or a month a year, I wish everyone a meaningful celebration. Outside of the terrifying and exciting realm of A.I., there’s also a lot happening in the world, and holidays like these remind us to celebrate — and recommit to the ongoing work of building a more just and inclusive future.

Next month, July 17-18, is The JoySpan Salon in the Hudson Valley, NY (Use code HELEN-JOY2025 for 35% off!). Grab your ticket while it’s still available at early bird pricing! Join to see many Creativity Squared guests speak, including Joanna Peña-Bickley, Cindy Gallop, and Eric Solomon!

Stay tuned for more content from SXSW and my interview with Afro House DJ Bluey.

Until next week, here’s to playing in the playground of possibility and manifesting more magic in 2025! 🪄✨

-Helen

p.s. Our 2025 podcast season will kick off again this summer, but we’ll keep the newsletter going between now and then, aside from the holidays and major conferences.

Helen Todd (she/her)
Human behind Creativity Squared
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How creatives are collaborating with A.I.

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Become a Creativity Squared and #ImaginationAge supporter today! Pre-order my forthcoming book as a crowd-funded advance, enabling me to bring it to life. The book is based on my SXSW presentation of the same name, “Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age.” Your financial support enables the movement and this independent female voice to champion it — thank you to everyone’s who’s already ordered a copy!

💝 SUPPORT CREATIVITY SQUARED & ARTSWAVE

How can you support this show? I’m so glad you asked! ☺️

Here are a few ways you can contribute to this independent female voice’s platform who’s championing Responsible A.I. and a human-centered future where it’s Dolly Parton and Holly Herndon — protectors of dreams and generative in their generosity and work — ushering in the #ImaginationAge (not AI ushering in the Intelligence Age, where humans are erased, starting with the framing…but I digress!).

Please consider supporting Creativity Squared in whatever way you can and would like to:

✅ Subscribe to the Creativity Squared YouTube channel (one day in the near future, I’ll be making money from this channel!)

🎨 I want to live in a world where artists not only coexist with A.I., but thrive. And because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 150 arts organizations, projects, and independent artists. Consider becoming a Premium Member today or making a one-time tip!

🦋 I'm SUPER excited to share that my SXSW presentation, Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age, is becoming a book! 📗 The conversations on my podcast Creativity Squared have informed many of the concepts. Pre-order your copy today as a crowd-funded advance to support an independent female voice. Your support will enable me to bring this idea to life — and is greatly appreciated! 🥰💛

🎉 And as a reminder, when you support this show, you’re also supporting ArtsWave! Because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 150 arts organizations, projects, and independent artists. For the third year in a row, we’re proud to partner with ArtsWave to also amplify the phenomenal artists selected for their 2025 Black and Brown Artist Program, elevating underrepresented voices and bridging cultural divides through art. You can get caught up on previous years’ ArtsWave interview series here!

🚀 Interested in becoming a sponsor of Creativity Squared? Reach out!

👍 AFFILIATE RECOMMENDATIONS 

💝 Using these links also supports Creativity Squared, and we only recommend what we actually back!

🐝 We use Beehiiv for this newsletter and are big fans! (If you’re not aware of Substack’s racist issues, this NYT article is for you.)

🎙 Riverside is the platform we use for recording podcast episodes, and recommend the web-based software!

🎶 Play Audio Agency, headquartered in Cincinnati, is home to the team that helps produce the show and are audio rock stars!

🖥 Need a new website or the slightest of help on your current site? Check out e9 Digital — they created, and help us host and manage Creativity Squared’s website! They know how to make accessible websites which I love. Mention Creativity Squared for 20% off too!

📆 EVENTS, A.I. CONFERENCES & MORE! 

🤝 JULY 1 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), July meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
📍 JULY 14-16 Black Tech Week, Cincinnati
📍 JULY 16-18 Data 4 Public Good (D4PG, #D4PG), Minneapolis
📍 July 17-18 The JoySpan Salon, Hudson Valley, NY (Use code HELEN-JOY2025 for 35% off!)
🎥 JULY 17-20 (Tentative dates) ArtsWave 2025 Black and Brown Artists Grant Program Showcase, Cincinnati (Media Partner)

For the full calendar, check it out here!

Interested in having me speak at your event or host a workshop for your organization? Reach out!

🗞 PRESS & PODCAST INTERVIEWS

📺 BBC News (June 5, 2025) — What is the future of digital clones? 

🎤 SXSW 2025 (March 11, 2025) “Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age”:

🎙 Fulcra Dynamics podcast, “The Augmented Life,” with CEO Michael Tiffany (April 29, 2025) — The Imagination Age Is Here: Reclaiming Attention, Creativity, and the Future of AI with Helen Todd

🎙 AI Explored with Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner (November 5, 2024) — Using AI to Expand Your Ideas and Creativity 

🎙 Reflections with an Accent with Kike Calvo (October 18, 2024) — Unveiling AI's Creative Power with Helen Todd | Reflections with an Accent 

🏆 Cincinnati Business Courier’s Fire Awards (May 2025) — Finalist in “Disruptor” category for CincyAI for Humans

🏆 Aviatra Accelerators (September 5, 2024) — Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 

📖 Movers & Makers Magazine (October 1, 2024) — Notables in AI + Print

📖 Cincinnati Magazine + Print (December 19, 2023) — Clone Wars + Print

🖥 SXSW Conference Community Newsletter (December 5, 2024) — SXSW 2025 Speaker Helen Todd talks Digital Twins

🖥 UC News (July 5, 2024) — Mayor Pureval, Rob Richardson lead ethical AI symposium

🖥 UC News (June 4, 2024) — Community of AI enthusiasts expands in Cincinnati

🖥 AdAge (April 15, 2024) — The Dalí Museum used AI to recreate Salvador Dalí’s voice—so you can ask him anything

🖥 UC Office of Research (February 28, 2024) — CincyAI and Digital Futures Partnership: Growing AI Talent in our Region & Beyond 

Listen: Ep.75 BBL Drizzy, A.I. & Manifesting A.I.: Discover How Will Hatcher Manifested His Way to a Time100 A.I. 2024 Honoree

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“If you're trying to play life safe, then I don't think you can fully experience life, you know. So you gotta go to places that you never been before, be in uncomfortable situations, because that's where the real growth is.” -King Willonius

Discover the magic of manifesting in a Creativity Squared exclusive interview from the ONLY comedian (and one of two artists!) who’s a Time100 AI 2024 honoree in the Innovators category: King Willonius. 👑 

His real name is Willonius Hatcher (his first name is pronounced “Will-OWN-ee-us,” and he also goes by Will). 2024 has been a breakout year for Will after his “BBL Drizzy” comedy song went viral — the first song made in collaboration with A.I. that became a cultural phenomenon, transcending genres and mediums!  

What do Burning Man, Dune 2, and the Frost Planetarium have to do with his story? Listen in to our 75th episode — and the last one for 2024! — to find out.

Creativity Squared interviewed Will live at the FilmGate Miami Interactive Festival XI, one of the top ten immersive festivals in the world! You’ll hear why it’s so special from the festival’s Head Curator, Co-Founder, and Executive Producer, Diliana Alexander. 

On opening night, the FilmGate Miami audience got a preview of the “BBL Drizzy Musical Dome Experience”. Next year, Creativity Squared will be back to see the full production and host another time capsule conversation with Will. 

Once you check out the interview, you’ll know that Will is just scratching the surface of what’s possible — he’s ahead of the entertainment industries, and is definitely one to follow!

Why did he make the Time100 AI 2024 Innovators list? 

For Creativity Squared Founder and Podcast Host, Helen Todd’s take, check out the dedicated blog post accompanying this episode (we recommend starting with this first 😉):

Our 2025 podcast season will kick off again in April, but we’ll keep the newsletter going between now and then, aside from the holidays.

Here’s to manifesting more magic in the new year — enjoy! 💝🪄✨

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