Creativity Squared: On OpenAI's Sora Text-to-Video Model

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Dear Creativity Squared Member,

With the golden ticket to test out OpenAI’s Sora, Nik Kleverov joins Creativity Squared in Episode 48 to discuss his experience with the text-to-video tool and the childlike creativity it unleashed in him.

Not only is Nik an OpenAI Collaborator, but he’s also the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Native Forgein, a hybrid creative agency-production company based in LA.

It’s been almost exactly one year since my interview with Chad Nelson, who collaborated with Nik on “Critterz,” the groundbreaking first-ever animated short film that was 100% designed using A.I. visuals produced by DALL·E.

Today, in Episode 48, you’ll hear Nik’s experience working with Sora in addition to other text-to-video tools. Nik’s perspective is informed by working with clients on commercials, as a filmmaker, and on a team creating original IP.

Nik also shares an agency owner’s perspective, discussing why Native Foreign is going all-in as next gen creatives and establishing an A.I. labs division within the agency.

I loved hearing about one of his creative projects, which he got out of his vault to bring to life and that will evolve alongside GenAI video capabilities.

In our conversation, Nik dives into the creative process, the ever-changing A.I. landscape, and the paradigm shift underway in the advertising industry.

Artists need to be part of the development of A.I. tools and this is your chance to hear what Nik is sharing with OpenAI related to Sora and how you can stay ahead of the curve with A.I. and storytelling — enjoy!

Check out Episode 48 today! 

Last week, I enjoyed speaking on A.I. alongside Pete Blackshaw and Michael Hiles at the Rotary Club of Cincinnati meeting! I loved the audience questions while on stage and after, including the impact of A.I. on accessibility, the widening wealth gap in the states, and the role of ethics. Here are my answers in this LinkedIn post.

Also, my CincyAI co-host Kendra Rameriz and I are grateful for the amazing turnout for our eighth meetup this past Tuesday. I’m already looking forward to June’s! CincyAI is the largest A.I. meetup in the region where over 150 people gather every month at the UC Digital Futures building to learn, connect, and collaborate — the tide rises all ships!

Stay tuned for more of my takeaways after being on stage with Professor De Kai at the Texas Eclipse Festival, attending the MIT A.I. Summit, and joining Joanna Peña-Bickley’s Future Frequences Salon (I’m still getting caught up!).

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• 🤯 A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

• 🎧 More on Episode 46

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Here's to exponential possibilities!

Helen

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

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JUNE 4 CincyAI Meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)

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With all of the A.I. updates flooding our feeds and screens, we’ve got you covered with the latest news at the intersection of A.I. and creativity.

AlphaFold 3 predicts the structure and interactions of all of life's molecules Google Blog — Google DeepMind’s update to their revolutionary protein structure prediction model promises to revolutionize life sciences across the board. AlphaFold 3 can predict how proteins and every other natural molecule will interact with each other. Access to AlphaFold is free for researchers.

OpenAI's Sam Altman Says 'We're Making AGI' And It Will Be 'Worth It:' 'Don't Care If We Burn $500M Or $50B' Benzinga — In the first of a series of headlines from Altman’s public appearances this past week, he committed to doing whatever it takes to achieve artificial general intelligence. Portraying AGI development as a value-creator for society, he asserted that current GPT models will become the dumbest we’ve ever dealt with. 

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman weighs in on content authentication TechTarget — In an online discussion with the Brookings Institution, Altman endorsed content authenticity initiatives ahead of elections and announced access for testing OpenAI’s generative content detector. He predicts that labeling human-produced content will be more useful than labeling A.I. content within the near future. 

Sam Altman says helpful agents are poised to become AI’s killer function MIT Technology Review — Between venture capital events at Harvard, Altman said the peak personal use case for A.I. will be assistants that know you inside and out. He also shared some cryptic optimism that A.I. demand for data is a temporary problem if we can figure out how humans learn naturally. 

Digital recreations of dead people need urgent regulation, AI ethicists say The Guardian — We need to carefully consider the psychological implications of letting companies market “immortality” chatbots to terminal patients and others, according to safety advocates. This business model is already cropping up online, raising fears of exploitation and sketchy companies misusing sensitive data for profit. 

Workers are secretly using AI on important tasks over fears it makes them look replaceable, new Microsoft and LinkedIn research finds CNBC — New data shows a disconnect between office workers and managers about A.I. in the workplace. Burnout and replacement anxiety are driving office workers to prompt in private, sometimes despite company policy. Ironically, bosses also report that they’re desperate for candidates with A.I. skills. 

OpenAI Is ‘Exploring’ How to Responsibly Generate AI Porn WIRED — Deep in a technical document released yesterday, OpenAI noted that it's considering loosening its ban on generating explicit content. A spokesperson said the note is an invitation for public comment and suggestions but didn’t give details about the company’s plan. 

Meet AdVon, the AI-Powered Content Monster Infecting the Media Industry Futurism — In an alarming development for our information ecosystem, the business of mass-generated digital copy is already out of anyone’s control. One particular company is polluting the internet with an endless stream of low-quality product reviews and explainer articles. Advertisers are fueling this market with demand for Google rankings. There’s no economic incentive to stop and no regulation to slow it down.

Listen: Ep48. OpenAI’s Sora Text-to-Video Model
Beta Tester Nik Kleverov Shares His Experience as a Creative Director and Agency Owner

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“It's interesting to see how A.I. influences creativity, how creatives work with A.I., and how different creatives interpret the tools in different ways. Just like an artist — same paint brushes, same paints, and the wildly different results.”

-Nik Kleverov

Nik Kleverov is not only an Emmy-grade storyteller but is also an immigrant and the son of a nonconformist artist who the Soviet government persecuted. Nik’s life story and varied experiences inform his diverse approach to creative work, from exploratory use of A.I. within storytelling to design-led title sequence work, and live-action commercials. He’s won numerous advertising and creative industry awards as a creative director.

As an entrepreneur and executive, he has started and operated successful and innovative business enterprises, including Native Foreign. He’s the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at the women-owned creative agency-production company hybrid based in LA that’s worked with OpenAI on different projects.

With the golden ticket to test out OpenAI’s Sora, Nik joins Creativity Squared in Episode 48 to discuss his experience with the text-to-video tool and the childlike creativity it unleashed in him.

Check out Episode 48 today!

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