Hallucinations
How do you explore the potential impacts on the creative industry by generative AI? Dig in. And for the past 18 months, I’ve been deep in the machine.
Testing, prodding, learning. Not chasing hype, but interrogating it. AI isn’t just a tool. It’s a new medium. One with its own quirks, artifacts, and possibilities. The kind of thing that reshapes how we see, think, and make. Our technology and tools have always altered the way we think and create, and this is one more step in that direction. It’s simply a really big step.
In his book FUTURE SHOCK, Alvin Toffler discusses many things, but among them:
The real threat is not the tool, but the speed of change. “Future shock is the dizzying disorientation brought on by the premature arrival of the future.”
Technological literacy is essential. “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Human identity evolves alongside technology. “Technology feeds on itself. Technology makes more technology possible.”
Creativity thrives on disruption. Toffler argues that periods of high change lead to new forms of creativity—entirely new genres, aesthetics, even worldviews.
That last point excites me the most. We’re about to experience the invention of novel ideas about the world, our culture, and how we interact, and our creativity and how we build things will be altered forever.
“You’re not wrong to feel overwhelmed. But don’t confuse discomfort with doom. This is just what the future feels like while it’s arriving.”
A fishy AI workflow.
Hallucinations is a collection of experiments, outputs, and beautiful misfires gathered along the way. Some are grounded in real-world photography. Others emerge from text prompts, latent space, and a bit of luck. Tools include Midjourney, ComfyUI, Dream Machine, KlingAI, Higgsfield, and Sora among others. Workflows vary wildly. So do the results.
And for now, that feels like the right place to be.