Creativity Squared: On A.I. and Our Wellbeing

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Dear Creativity Squared Member,

As I was thinking about what to share in today’s newsletter, I want to offer up a little framework I do with my friends when we travel: “The answer is always yes!”

If someone offers up a suggestion, often times it reveals a want. Do you want to grab a cup of coffee — yes! Do you want to see that art gallery — yes! This can be applied to creative projects too. Do I want to start that book, film, or podcast? Yes — go for it! Should I reach out to that person who’s been crossing my mind — yes! (Please do check in on your friends and loved ones more than ever right now).

While, of course, the answer isn’t always yes, it’s fun to play with this framing, especially as a way to uncover what excites us and to give ourselves permission to say “yes” more often to opportunities and ideas. What do you want to say “yes” to?

When I had the chance to interview today’s guest, Shira Lazar, it was an easy decision — absolutely!

Shira is a force, revolutionizing web-first news in 2011 with ‘What's Trending’, predating the creator economy as we know it today. She recognized the power of digital culture before most, becoming a go-to voice for emerging online communities and viral moments when traditional media wasn't paying attention.

Today’s episode explores wellbeing, mental health, and disability — topics close to my heart. My half-sister and father, who are both no longer with us, were disabled. The world they were born into wasn’t built for them. And as Shira and I reflected on the digital world and its impact on us, in countless ways, the social web wasn’t built for any of us, and certainly doesn’t center what’s in our best interest when it comes to wellbeing. Stating the obvious, there’s a lot of potential to have these tools be safe spaces for the full spectrum of the human experience, especially for our disabled friends and loved ones.

Shira’s journey from broadcaster to digital innovator led her to an even more crucial mission — supporting creator wellbeing through co-founding Peace Inside Live, a wellness agency and collective. This work led to launching the Creators 4 Mental Health initiative which is focused on bringing mental health tools to the creator economy through events and community programming.

One question we dive into: Are A.I. creators making money? And do they have the tools to set themselves up for success in their careers? Today, you'll hear Shira's unique perspective on the evolution of the creator economy, from the early days of YouTube stars to the current A.I. revolution. She shares invaluable insights on creator sustainability, mental health, and building a more mindful digital future.

Join us to get a pulse on the creator economy and what’s needed so we all thrive, centering wellbeing to unlock our best content we can imagine — enjoy!

Check out Episode 73 today!

Scroll on to discover:

• 🎞 Featured Blog Post: Now Is the Time To Uplift Art That Imagines New Futures

• 📆 Calendar of Events: A.I. Conferences & Events Radar

• 🤯 A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

• 🎧 More on Episode 73

• 👯‍♀️ Apply to Join the Clone Club

• 💎 Creativity Squared Premium Member Benefits

• 💝 Milestone Rewards

• ❤️‍🔥 Premium Members: Episode NFT

We’re just getting started, and if you enjoy our content, I’d really appreciate it if you could share, review, like, subscribe, leave a comment, and help spread the word about Creativity Squared in whatever way you’re willing to. Your support is greatly appreciated, and the whole team looks forward to growing with your help. Thank you!

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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🎨 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!

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📆 A.I. CONFERENCE & EVENTS RADAR

NOVEMBER 20: Columbus AI Summit by OhioX, Columbus

DECEMBER 3: CincyAI Meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)

DECEMBER 9: Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age (Speaker) 

DECEMBER 11-13: Responsible AI Summit, Virtual (Speaker)

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

Your A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

With all of the A.I. news flooding our feeds and screens, we’ve got you covered. News to check out includes:

Anthropic hires its first “AI welfare” researcher Ars Technica — In a first for the industry, Anthropic's bringing on an A.I. welfare researcher to tackle the thorny questions about A.I.'s societal impact. This move signals growing awareness that with great A.I. power comes great responsibility. The focus? Making sure A.I. development doesn't just push boundaries but actually benefits humanity. 

ChatGPT told 2M people to get their election news elsewhere — and rejected 250K deepfakes TechCrunch — Despite fears ahead of the election about A.I. spreading misinformation, new data from OpenAI suggests that ChatGPT strayed mostly neutral.  According to the company, OpenAI's chatbot played defense against misinformation, guiding 2M+ users to legitimate news sources and blocking 250K deepfake attempts. 

AI may displace 3m jobs but long-term losses ‘relatively modest’, says Tony Blair’s thinktank The Guardian — A new report suggests A.I.'s job market impact might not be the apocalypse we feared. While 3 million jobs could face A.I. disruption, the study indicates that the economy's pretty resilient. The real story? It's all about adaptation. New roles are emerging in tech-driven sectors, potentially offsetting losses. Key takeaway: upskilling is your best friend in this A.I.-powered future. 

AI-powered parenting is here and a16z is ready to back it TechCrunch — The famous venture capital firm a16z is putting major funding into A.I.-powered parenting tools such as smart solutions for household management and child monitoring. While traditionalists might raise eyebrows, investors are convinced these A.I. tools will transform how we handle family life. 

The Beatles’ final song, restored using AI, is up for a Grammy The Verge — The Beatles just made Grammy history with nominations for "Now and Then," an A.I.-enhanced version of the group’s final track. Producers used A.I. to clean up Lennon’s vocals on a demo he recorded decades earlier, which was put to music recorded by the surviving Beatles. As the track gains critical acclaim, more in the music industry are exploring how A.I. can help preserve and revive other acts. 

A.I. Robot Artist’s Turing Portrait Fetches $1.1 Million at Sotheby’s Decrypt — A robot artists just made more money than most humans ever will, signalling a seismic shift in the art market..The robot, named Turing, crashed through the million-dollar ceiling at Sotheby's Auction House with an A.I.-generated portrait that sparked a bidding war. As collectors throw serious cash at machine-made masterpieces, we're watching the art world rewrite its rules in real-time.

Stand-Up, Drama and Spambots: The Creative World Takes On A.I. The New York Times — A.I. is hitting the stage and trying its hand at comedy. From museum installations to live performances, algorithms are getting into the entertainment game. A.I.-generated scripts and comedy routines are pushing creative boundaries and raising eyebrows. While purists might scoff, cultural institutions are already experimenting with this bold new frontier of digital creativity.

Anthropic CEO Warns of Multiple Threats Posed by Human-Level AI in Coming Years Decrypt — Red alert from Anthropic's CEO: The clock's ticking on A.I. safety. In a stark warning about human-level A.I. risks, they're calling for immediate policy action. The concern? A.I. systems could outpace human control faster than we think. With A.I. development accelerating, the push for stronger oversight is becoming less academic and more urgent by the day.

Listen: Ep.73 A.I. & Our Wellbeing: How Can We Improve the Creator Economy? Shira Lazar, Mental Health Advocate & Founder of ‘What’s Trending’ Weighs In

Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Pandora | Amazon | Google | SoundCloud | iHeart Radio

“We are losing our sense that we know who we are and what we know is important, right? Like we have sovereignty over that, and our biggest gift as humans is our sense of self...these tools can help, but we have actually that inner wisdom, and we are being taught that we need external things to help us get there. And this is the main issue.” — Shira Lazar

From early digital media pioneer to mental health advocate for creators, meet Shira Lazar in Episode 73.

As an Emmy-nominated digital culture trailblazer, one of Fast Company's Most Influential Women in Technology, and on Variety's Women of Impact list, Shira has spent over two decades at the intersection of technology, media, and human connection. Her journey from broadcaster to digital innovator led her to an even more crucial mission — supporting creator wellbeing through co-founding Peace Inside Live, a wellness agency and collective. This work led to launching the Creators 4 Mental Health initiative which is focused on bringing mental health tools to the creator economy through events and community programming.

One question we dive into: Are A.I. creators making money? And do they have the tools to set themselves up for success in their careers? Today, you'll hear Shira's unique perspective on the evolution of the creator economy, from the early days of YouTube stars to the current A.I. revolution. She shares invaluable insights on creator sustainability, mental health, and building a more mindful digital future.

 As a trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of suicide and mental health that some listeners may find distressing. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or visit  https://speakingofsuicide.com for more support and resources.

Join us to get a pulse on the creator economy and what’s needed so we all thrive, centering wellbeing to unlock our best content we can imagine — enjoy!

Check out Episode 73 today!

Digitally Clone Yourself!
The Avatar Experience Cincinnati

👯‍♀️ Ready to be digitally cloned? Get your own custom synthetic avatar! Creativity Squared is collaborating with our partner and sponsor, Render, to bring The Avatar Experience to Cincinnati, OH, on October 25 and 26 at ADC Fine Art Gallery (1013 York St. Cincinnati, OH 45214). Digitally clone yourself to unlock streamlined and dynamic video content — Book your cloning appointment today!

There are less than a thousand known hyper-realistic custom synthetic avatars in existence, so participants will be at the forefront of this groundbreaking A.I. technology. Custom synthetic avatars are part of a massive and growing digital avatar market and is projected to be $270B by 2030.

Custom synthetic avatars can be used for creating:

• Dynamic online course instruction

• Streamlined SEO video production of blog or audio-only content

• Turnkey social media and email marketing video content

• Engaging customer service messaging

• And more!

👯‍♀️ In case you missed the announcement, I’ve digitally cloned myself! Learn all about mine in episode E14. Not Deepfaked! I Cloned Myself. You’ll meet Helen 2.ODD, my digital double, and discover why and how I made my A.I.-created custom synthetic avatar.

Thank You to Render

Creativity Squared is supported by Render which provides Digital Likeness solutions for personal brand businesses, thought leaders, influencers, and business leaders who want to leverage their synthetic, A.I.-powered Likeness to communicate more effectively online and create audio and video content from anywhere without going on camera. Learn more by visiting: https://rendermedia.ai.

Interested in partnering with Creativity Squared? Reach out!

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