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Creativity Squared: On "Human-Only" in the Age of A.I. 

Dear Creativity Squared Collective —

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

This week, the great A.I. schism in the creative world widened. On Tuesday, Bandcamp drew a hard line in the sand, announcing a total ban on all music "generated wholly or in substantial part by A.I." This signals the growing A.I. backlash we're seeing across culture. In New York City, ads for the Friend A.I. listening device were recently decimated with graffiti urging people to spend time with real friends (which I agree with!). 

In mainstream entertainment and brand marketing, "Human-Only" is becoming the new "Non-GMO."

We’re starting to see films proudly display credits stating that no A.I. was used in their production, while brands like Polaroid and Heineken are leaning into what is uniquely human experiences. For example, one of Polaroid’s ads shows a photo of a beach scene paired with what looks like hand-written copy that reads “A.I. can’t generate sand between your toes.” A Heineken ad states that “The best way to make a friend is over a beer,” trolling the A.I. device company with an image of it in the ad itself!

In principle, I support this. I believe every artist or brand has the right to choose how — or if — they engage with A.I. tools.

That said, as we’re entering 2026, it raises the question: Is 100% "Human-Only" even possible?

To say that no A.I. was used in a project — especially one as massive as a feature film or a global ad campaign — is starting to feel like saying you live in the United States and have never been exposed to microplastics.

The environment we live in makes avoiding A.I. almost impossible. It’s in our stoplights, Google searches, Netflix recommendations, software, and the very algorithms determining what we see in our feeds.

From this lens, human purity from A.I. entrenchment in our culture becomes nearly unattainable — and at worst, a new form of “greenwashing” or leveraging trends, not facts, for marketing manipulation.

While the sentiment behind these claims is commendable in centering humans and human connection, what needs to happen?

Whether we like it or not, we’re in a world forcing A.I. adoption. It’s happening across a spectrum. At one end are the purists who strive for fully human-only systems, and at the other are those who fully embrace A.I. in every facet of a workflow, from ideation to execution, with minimal human-in-the-loop monitoring, if any.

In practice, though, it’s not as binary or about picking absolutist sides; it's about using an internal compass to navigate our A.I. economy and environment, maintaining agency and intent in a more automated world.

Until a universal “Human-Made” standard is legally defined and adopted, then the responsibility and transparency lie with us. Since we don’t live in a perfect world, we don’t need to be A.I.-free — we just need to be A.I. intentional. This means supporting artists, being transparent about when and how A.I. is used, keeping humans in decision-making roles, and using A.I. to enhance rather than replace.

This is where the real value lives. Consumers don't just want to know if you used A.I.; they want to know how and why you used it. Are you automating the grunt work or a person out of a job?

What the “human-only” trend signals is that we need to better define what our own A.I. lines in the sand look like. It also signals that human-made is becoming more valuable.

Human-made may become the new organic premium.

I’ve heard before that you become what you consume — so with that, avoid as much slop as you can! 😉

In other news:

• Really excited to be launching a new digital community for CincyAI — if you’re in the area, consider joining today!

• I’m working on an Imagination Age workshop with the fab Paqui Lizana, a strategist at IKEA, founder of Brilliant Failures AI Studio, and creator of the ALL IN Futures framework for human-A.I. collaboration. When intelligence becomes ubiquitous, unlocking creativity and imagination becomes invaluable. Stay tuned for more details!

• I’m looking for podcast sponsors to launch season 3 this year and am available as a speaker for your next event. Of course, you can also pre-order my forthcoming book on the Imagination Age today!

Until next week, here’s to playing in the playground of possibility to manifest more magic in 2026! 🪄✨

-Helen

p.s. If you’ve read this far, if you want a different perspective on human intelligence, I recommend the documentary Age of Disclosure that explores non-human intelligence…not from machines, but non-human biological beings!

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 who’s already ordered a copy!

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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!

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👍 AFFILIATE RECOMMENDATIONS 

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🐝 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! 

🎤 SEPTEMBER 16 VARTECH, Bahamas
🎤 SEPTEMBER 29 BOND — Arc Interiors, Orlando
📍 SEPTEMBER 24-26 TEDAI Vienna, Vienna, Austria
📍 SEPTEMBER 26 OhioX Ohio Tech Day (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus

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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