Creativity Squared: On AGI Power Matched with Responsibility

Dear Creativity Squared Collective —

Hope this finds you well wherever you are in the world reading this — and I appreciate you spending time with me here today.

First, I’m really excited to share that CincyAI for Humans, the largest A.I. meetup in the state of Ohio I co-founded and co-host with Kendra Ramirez, is a FINALIST for Cincinnati Business Courier’s Fire Awards “Disruptor” category! Powered by the 1819 Innovation Hub, this program is dedicated to honoring local trailblazers and visionaries driving innovation. CincyAI gets credit for being the catalyst for the Responsible A.I. movement in the region. Our monthly meetups wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support of the University of Cincinnati’s Digital Futures and distinguished A.I. professor, researcher, and our organizing partner, Dr. Kelly Cohen. Keep your fingers crossed for us! 🤞

As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter titled Sam Altman is Wrong, we’re drowning in data in the Information Age, but where’s the wisdom?

Tristan Harris, one of our most courageous moral and tech ethical leaders, is rising to meet this moment we find ourselves in — racing recklessly towards AGI — and reminds us we can still choose wisdom over dystopia and chaos.

He gives me hope about a possible and probable future where we can all share in the upside of A.I.’s abundance. If you watch one thing today, carve out 15 minutes to check out his latest TED Talk, The Narrow Path: Why AI is Our Ultimate Test and Greatest Invitation, or read its script that’s been adapted for a blog post. In both, he pointedly shares:

The future is not inevitable. It’s made of choices that we collectively decide.

A complement to Tristan’s TED Talk, is a recent podcast interview where I was a guest on Fulcra Dynamics podcast, “The Augmented Life,” with CEO Michael Tiffany — I really enjoyed the conversation with Michael! In the episode "The Imagination Age Is Here: Reclaiming Attention, Creativity, and the Future of AI with Helen Todd,” we explore what it means to center creativity, community, and well-being in a world increasingly defined by algorithms and automation.

Together, we dive into:

• Why I believe Sam Altman is wrong about the “Intelligence Age” and the case for a new era: The Imagination Age (this builds off of last week’s newsletter)

• How to reclaim your attention, intuition, and inner compass in a world designed for distraction

• Why community and embodiment are our best defense against digital disconnection

• The double-edged sword of A.I. clones, memory augmentation, and “sparring with yourself”

• What it would look like to build A.I. tools that help us spend less time with tech—and more time being human

Whether you’re a founder, a futurist, or just feeling overwhelmed by the noise, this episode is a hopeful, expansive blueprint for a different kind of future — one rooted in purpose, presence, and play.

💖 Become an #ImaginationAge supporter, and pre-order your copy today as a crowd-funded advance, enabling this independent female voice the financial support to write my book on the Imagination Age. Your financial support is greatly appreciated — thank you to everyone who has already placed an order!

There’s still a lot of content on its way from SXSW, Miami Music Week, and more. 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 in May, 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.

💝 SUPPORT CREATIVITY SQUARED & ARTSWAVE

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! 

🤝 MAY 6 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), May meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
📍 MAY 8 OhioX 2025 Ohio Tech Summit (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus (On radar)
🎤 MAY 16 Power to Pursue, Cincinnati (Speaker)

🪑 JUNE 4 Content Authenticity Summit, NYC
🎤 JUNE 5 SUMMIT DETROIT (Speaker)
🪑 JUNE 10-12 Cincy AI Week (#CincyAIWeek), Cincinnati (CincyAI Community Partner)
🎤 JUNE 13 AFTACon (#AFTACON #AFTACON2025), Cincinnati (Speaker)
🤝 JUNE 17 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), June meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)

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

🎙 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 

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

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

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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Because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates will go to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 100 arts organizations.

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