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My guest today is AI specialist Chad Nelson, who is also an award-winning creative director and technology strategist with over two decades of blending technology and entertainment seamlessly. Throughout his career, he has been at the forefront of emerging technologies and applying them to create new entertainment experiences. And this new era of AI is no different.

Chad has recently created an animated short film, Critterz, with the help of AI. Though AI has created a lot of controversy in the creative space, Chad reveals a different perspective in which AI is just another tool that artists can use to let their ideas come to life. We go way beneath the surface of prompts and AI art to unravel why and how the creative human mind remains indispensable in any creative work. We also discuss the ethics involved in using AI as well as how creatives can harness AI to stand out from all the noise that, ironically, AI will create.

As a creative myself, I too understand the fear that this age of AI can bring. But this conversation with Chad shines a new light on understanding AI and shows us how irreplaceable the creative human mind is.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• Combining technology and experiences: Chad's origin story
• How playing golf while on vacation inspired a brilliant idea
• The mindset that Chad takes on to follow through with his ideas
• How Chad created his first AI-generated image using a short prompt
• Using AI in the ideation phase of creative work
• The cons (and pros) of replacing certain jobs with technology
• Where ethics draw the line between technology and people
• The ethical use of AI in creative work
• The pros and cons of democratization of creativity tools
• How to stand out in the midst of the rise of AI
• How the creative human mind, education, and experiences still plays a vital role even in using AI

Useful Resources Mentioned:

EditFest 2023 AI Panel

Remember These Free AOL CDs? They're Collectibles Now | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine

First AI generated image that Chad created using a short prompt

匚尺丨ㄒㄒ乇尺乙 -- An animated short created with AI

Continue to Listen & Learn

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How to Be an Irreplaceable Creative in the Emerging World of Artificial Intelligence | with Srinivas Rao

Chase Jarvis On Building Your Network of ‘A-Gamers,’ Designing the Life You Want, and Fulfilling Your ‘Creative Calling’

All Quiet On the Western Front Writer/Producer Lesley Paterson On Unleashing Your True Creative (and Athletic) Potential

What Creativity Is, How It Works, and the Laws to Learning It | with Joey Cofone

The Science of Storytelling, Why We Need Stories, and How to Rewrite Our Own | with Will Storr

Building a Career Beyond Your Job Title, Strategically Crafting Your Story, and Diversifying Your Career Portfolio | with Jeff Bartsch

Redefining Your Career Path in a Post Generational Society | with Mauro Guillén

How to Future-Proof Your Creative Career, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Life Bigger Than Your Résumé | with Christina Wallace

How to Reinvent Yourself, Pursue Your Dreams, and Change Careers at Any Age | with Marcelo Lewin

Guest Bio:

Chad Nelson

Chad Nelson is an award-winning creative director and technology strategist with over 2 decades of experience combining the latest technologies and entertainment to create immersive experiences. He is a co-founder of Eight Cylinder Studios and WGT Media and has collaborated with Intel, Sony and Microsoft to name a few. Chad currently works with OpenAI as a creative collaborator.

Chad's recent work is Critterz, an animated short film created with the help of OpenAI's DALL-E and was shown in festivals such as the Portland Festival of Cinema, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Cannes Lion and Qld XR Festival 2023 where it was awarded Best in Creative AI.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/zackarnold/exclusive-content