THE GRAIN newsletter—where AI meets creativity
News and insights about how we can adapt
I’m Ronit Novak. I'm an art director and photo editor. I'm a mentor, a teacher, a writer, and a public speaker. Just like you, I’ve been increasingly curious about the conversations surrounding creativity and artificial intelligence. I wonder about the impact it will have on my career in the creative industry. I created THE GRAIN to be a platform for meaningful dialogue with critical thinkers, and to share them with you. Leave your comments or write me at ronit@thegrain.ai.
These are the news stories and critical insights I’ve recently shared about the impact of artificial intelligence on our creative industry: Why the bipartisan bill to regulate the spread of pornographic deepfakes got blocked in the U.S. Senate; Nintendo, Spider-Man and Dark Horse Comics now standing their ground against AI; and how Katy Perry generated a sloppy version of feminism in her new music video.
Click to read my fresh perspectives…
Lawmakers passing the buck on deepfake pornography are running out of time
Lessons from a politician’s experience Imagine casually scrolling social media and seeing a video of yourself in a location you’ve never been, saying something you never said, engaged in an act you never did. Now, imagine also being naked in that video
Superheroes fight against a new villain—the dreaded AI
As the application of artificial intelligence in creative fields gets more inevitable and pervasive, some companies are clapping back—definitively saying they will not be using AI in their products. In a social media statement, Dark Horse Comics stated a dedication to an
Katy Perry's feminine divine looks a lot like AI slop
“Woman’s World” is the name of the video that’s left Katy Perry to contend with the biggest backlash of her image-based pop music career—putting a damper on what was supposed to be a comeback after four years away from releasing music. The mundane and simplistic criticism centres on its
Some other stories I’m following…
AI can’t make music—but that doesn’t mean it poses an empty threat to musicians [The Atlantic]
The programs aren’t necessarily doing something no human can; they’re doing something no human can in such a short period of timeNetflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says AI will “Generate a great set of creator tools” [The Hollywood Reporter]
”If you look back over 100 years of entertainment, you can see how great technology and great entertainment work hand in hand to build great big businesses.”Justine Bateman launches No AI Allowed film festival for 2025 [Deadline]
“We support creativity, not conformity,” the organizers say, adding that AI is “based on stolen work, it only regurgitates the past.”Presti is using GenAI to replace costly furniture industry photo shoots [TechCrunch]
If you’ve ever bought a sofa online, have you thought about the homes you can see in the background of the product shots?Elon Musk’s AI headlines on X show risks of aggregating social media [Wall Street Journal]
Grok items essentially elevated jokes, rumors and confusion into some news bulletins on the platform
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