Are we at risk of losing brand magic?
The early, messy stage of an idea is where the magic happens. Calvin Ross Carl on why handing concepting and brainstorming to AI makes him nervous.
Summary
Calvin Ross Carl admits he has complicated thoughts about AI in creativity, and names the one that worries him most. People increasingly accept AI as long as it isn’t used for the final work, only for concepting and brainstorming. For Calvin, that’s exactly where the magic happens in brand and design work: the moment a person reaches into the ether and pulls out something completely unexpected. It’s hard, nearly impossible, and that’s what makes it worth protecting.
Highlights
- Many people accept AI as long as it isn’t used for final work.
- Concepting and brainstorming are where the magic happens.
- Pulling out something unexpected is a human act.
Key insights
The early stage isn’t the safe stage
Treating brainstorming as low stakes gets it backward. It’s where the most important creative decisions start.
Magic comes from the unexpected
Great brand and design work comes from reaching into the ether and finding something nobody predicted.
Detailed analysis
This Short sits next to Calvin’s point that AI is an optimization technology. If AI predicts the likely, then using it at the very start of a project pulls ideas toward the expected before anyone has a chance to find the unexpected. The concern isn’t AI in production. It’s AI in the moment where originality is born.
Conclusion
Be careful about what you hand off early. The messy start of an idea is where the magic lives.
I have a lot of really complicated thoughts about AI and using it in creativity. But one thing that always makes me nervous is you’ve started seeing almost an acceptance, where when people are talking about AI, they’re like, “No, no, no. As long as it’s not for the final stuff in the end, I’m okay with it.” If you’re using it for concepting or brainstorming, that always puts me back on my heels a little bit, because that’s the moment where the magic happens, especially in brand and design work, where you reach into the ether as a human and pull out something completely unexpected. That’s a lot harder. It’s much more difficult to do, nearly impossible.