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Creativity Squared: On A.I. and Expanding Perspectives

Dear Creativity Squared Collective —

For those in the states, I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend!

I’m back from London for my interview with Bluey. I got a sneak peek of his new and impressive Afro House immersive experience — you’ll be the first to know when it drops!

This week, I jumped right into preparing a webinar on A.I. and creativity for a new client, Lenovo. On this front, I’m updating my speaker page, but it’s live, and I’m available for speaking engagements and A.I. workshops. If you’re interested in booking me, reach out today!

As I’m also working on turning my Imagination Age presentation into a shorter version for my upcoming Summit Detroit and Cincy AI Week talks, I’m reminded of a lesson growing up without tv in the backwoods of East Tennessee in Dolly Parton’s hometown at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In 1997, when Princess Diana tragically died, I was really confused. The world was outpouring its love for her, and I wasn’t really sure why.

My only view of Princess Diana that I can remember came from the tabloids in front of the checkout lanes at our local grocery store. The headlines and photos always painted the worst of her in royal scandals. Only after her death did I come to learn about her amazing humanitarian work and what a living inspiration and international treasure she was.  

This moment was also a lesson that has stuck with me: that our perspective, however limited or expansive — and the media we consume — shapes our reality. 

Right now, who is shaping the narrative about A.I.’s rollout?

With social media, the binary thinking is that we can either have freedom of speech or regulation, but we can’t have both (I wrote about this with my brilliant legal friend, Dr. Vigjilenca Abazi, in an article on Worth).

With A.I., the narrative is that we can have progress or safety, but not both.

The Information Age is too binary — stuck in its ones and zeros mentality, and we’ve already crossed the rainbow to Technicolor and are going more immersive than ever before as our online and offline worlds continue to blur.

And we’re pulling the rug out from under people when it comes to A.I., like we’re dropping them into the middle of Burning Man, unprepared.

This binary thinking…does seem to be lacking a lot of creativity and imagination!

Risk doesn't preclude progress — it just requires a level of investment proportionate to the risk.

Given A.I.'s existential risk for humanity and our planet, do you think we’re investing enough in human safety and well-being?

It doesn’t have to be progress or our safety and well-being — the two can coexist.

And we absolutely shouldn’t wait for the mysterious arrival of AGI to come and solve all of our problems for us. First, where does human agency fit into this approach? And second, right now the problems with A.I. are complex, but they’ll only get more complex in the future. We need to solve them now; otherwise, as Tristan Harris points out, the current trajectories are going towards dystopia or chaos (and this isn’t hyperbole).

There is a middle, narrow path — one where power is matched with responsibility.

To me, this narrow path is illuminated by the promise of the Imagination Age and the call for us to reimagine what’s possible. To break free of the Information Age’s binary thinking and to explore the messy middle and interrogate and explore the uncertainty and possibilities A.I. opens up.

We’re sitting on so much data in the Information Age, but where’s the wisdom?

It’s up to each of us to champion this path and to push back on the binary arguments that we can either have progress or A.I. safety, but not both.

We need to support companies that bake Responsible A.I. into the fabric of their business and center human well-being, as well as those championing it, such as many featured on the Creativity Squared podcast.

If we don’t, lives are at stake. Our children’s lives are at stake. Look no further than the reckless A.I. company, Character.AI, which had zero guardrails for children. Because of this, we’ve already seen one child become a victim of suicide due to its relationship with one of its A.I. bots.

There’s so much potential for A.I. to live up to its promise to amplify the best of human potential, but if we’re going to see this come to fruition, we have to start acknowledging where we’re at, where we’re heading, and choose a different path forward.

A path not to a sterile Intelligence Age devoid of human agency in its algorithmic determinism, but to a human-centered Imagination Age, where all flourish, not just the few dictating the narrative and promising trickle-down-abundance.

Because in the Imagination Age, safety and well-being are embraced with A.I. development, not just for marketing or PR speak, but to truly center humans.

Whatever seat that you sit in, whether a developer, investor, creator, or someone who’s just A.I. curious, know that we’re all co-creating our shared future, and it’s up to each one of us to break free from binary thinking and reimagine what’s possible.

Of course, you can also become an #ImaginationAge supporter and pre-order my forthcoming book which will help illuminate and inspire the middle path forward, too.

I appreciate you being here and spending some time with me today — it’s certainly an exciting time to be alive, that’s for sure!

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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💝 PRE-ORDER YOUR BOOK

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 upcoming 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, and I couldn’t be more excited to present them on stage in Austin in March and in print this year. 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! 

📍 JUNE 4 Content Authenticity Summit, NYC
🎤 JUNE 5 SUMMIT DETROIT (Speaker)
🏆 JUNE 11 The Fire Awards powered by the 1819 Innovation Hub (CincyAI is a finalist!)
🎤 JUNE 10-12 Cincy AI Week (#CincyAIWeek), Cincinnati (CincyAI Community Partner & Speaker)
🎤 JUNE 13 AFTACon (#AFTACON #AFTACON2025), Cincinnati (Speaker)
🤝 JUNE 17 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), June meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)

🤝 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 (Media Partner) 
🎥 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

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

🎙 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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