Podcast Summary

Podcast: TED Talks Daily
Episode: What will the future of art look like? A visual effects artist and a curator answer
Guests: Rob Bredow (Visual Effects Artist), Nora Atkinson (Curator)
Date: September 6, 2025
Host: Elise Hu

Episode Overview

This episode, the first in the third season of TED Intersections, explores the rapidly evolving relationship between art and technology—especially through the lens of artificial intelligence (AI). Visual effects artist Rob Bredow (noted for his work on "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones") and museum curator Nora Atkinson (famous for bringing Burning Man to the Smithsonian) discuss the future of creativity, the integration of new tech such as AI, and the enduring human soul at the heart of artistic creation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Responses to AI in Art

• Rob Bredow shares common anxieties artists have about AI but finds that, in practice, technology becomes a tool that enhances, not replaces, human creativity.
  • "Most artists, I think our first reaction, my first reaction was like, well, that seems like a really bad idea. I don't want a machine taking over my job. And then when you start using it, you realize, like, oh, okay, I'm very safe. The machine can't do what I can do. But actually, it does help me with this one part here." (02:42)
• Nora Atkinson observes that the best work with new technology emerges when creators start to "break it" and go beyond intended uses.
  • "All of my favorite work typically is when people get to the point with the technology that they start to try to break it. And that's what I'm really looking forward to seeing." (03:43)

2. AI as Tool vs. Autonomous Creator

• Rob highlights that, especially in commercial artistic environments like filmmaking, control and intent remain key, even when integrating unpredictable AI tools.
  • "We're trying to force these tools that can tend to have a mind of their own … trying to turn that into something that's more controllable is a whole operation unto itself." (04:20)
• Nora points out that as artists experiment more deeply, the nature of storytelling and expression will adapt, but artists aren’t going anywhere—they’re just evolving.
  • "The more, you know, you start to become more adept at telling a story with it. So I don’t think there’s any danger that artists are gonna go away. They’re just gonna transform." (08:24)

3. Defining "Soul" and Meaning in Art

• Discussion centers on the difference between technical feasibility and genuine artistic communication—using the example of endless algorithmic symphonic music.
  • Nora: "It was a fascinating thing that you could create Infinite Symphonic Music... but of course it struck me that that music, then what is it essentially, is it music? Because it isn't communicating anything. And I think that's really at the soul of a lot of this. How do you keep the soul that's right in the work?" (06:44)

4. Historical Context & Technological Change

• They draw analogies to earlier disruptions—like the Jacquard Loom and the advent of photography—to suggest the current shift is part of a long continuum where new technologies, initially feared, end up expanding the meaning and possibilities of art.
  • Rob: "Every time there's been a technical innovation, there's people wanting to hold it back for good reason, and then there's people who want to lean into it… the example we often refer to is photography versus painting..." (09:21)

5. The Role of Curiosity in Creation

• Both see curiosity as a foundational engine for learning, experimenting, and innovation, whether inventing at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) or curating at the Smithsonian.
  • Rob: "A lot of the things we invent … are as a result of a person or a team getting curious about whether something will work." (09:58)
  • Nora: "My job, as well as a curator, is all about just running down whatever thing I’m super curious about, because someone else will be curious about that." (10:51)

6. Blending Old and New—Constraints as Creative Drivers

• Both guests discuss the importance of studying and drawing from the past (e.g., using techniques from the original "Star Wars" miniatures even when working in CG), and how creative constraints, traditionally imposed by technology, actually generate more meaningful work.
  • Rob: "The constraints make the story. I think we relate to it well because we understand the world. You set up the rules in the first five minutes of a movie, and you want to adhere to those." (15:48)

7. AI Art in Museums—Preservation, Value, and Curation

• Nora wants museums to include more AI art to document and legitimize the evolution of media, despite challenges in preservation.
  • "There hasn't been enough AI art that has made it into the museum yet... it's the opportunity to see an evolution in progress." (17:54)
• Both see deep value in exhibiting new media alongside traditional forms to reveal connections and enrich both.
  • "People who are doing it really well should be in a museum, and it should be sitting there right next to a marble sculpture or a crafted painting..." (18:23)
  • Rob cites George Lucas’s vision for a museum displaying classic paintings side-by-side with movie posters. (18:46)

8. Story and Human Emotion—the Core of Art

• Despite enthusiasm for technology, both guests agree that story and human connection always matter most.
  • Rob: "The story is king, 100%. The story has to be the driver and the characters." (20:30)
• Nora compares museum curation to filmmaking: both are about orchestrating emotional journeys for audiences, often strengthened by shared, communal experience.
  • "You wouldn't put the piece in the museum if there wasn't some kind of an emotional, human resonance to it." (23:44)

9. The Magic of Imperfection & Audience Experience

• Rob and Nora celebrate moments when imperfection actually becomes part of a work's charm—using anecdotes from "Star Wars" and museum exhibitions.
  • Rob: "Perfection isn't necessary... that detail over there, it's imperfect, but it doesn't matter. People aren't looking there." (26:54)
  • Nora: "We're imperfect." (27:19)
• The ultimate mark of success is seeing wonder and connection in the faces of audiences and visitors.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI as a tool:

  • “Then it becomes a tool, like a better paintbrush. At that point, we've achieved something that's actually going to have really nice benefit, I think.” – Rob Bredow (02:42, 08:38)

• On breaking technology:

  • “All of my favorite work typically is when people get to the point with the technology that they start to try to break it.” – Nora Atkinson (03:43)

• On soul in art:

  • “That music, then what is it essentially, is it music? Because it isn't communicating anything. And I think that's really at the soul of a lot of this." – Nora Atkinson (06:44)

• On curiosity:

  • “A lot of the things we invent...are as a result of a person or a team getting curious about whether something will work.” – Rob Bredow (09:58)

• On blending media:

  • “We have a shot in The Mandalorian...where we have stop motion animation combined with real time computer graphics combined with a real set, and it's seamlessly blended between all three...that kind of combination is really nice.” – Rob Bredow (19:23)

• On story over spectacle:

  • “The story is king, 100%. The story has to be the driver and the characters.” – Rob Bredow (20:30)

• On imperfection:

  • “Perfection isn't necessary. ...that detail over there, it's imperfect, but it doesn't matter. People aren't looking there.” – Rob Bredow (26:54)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:42] Artists' initial fears about AI and its role as a tool
• [03:43] The value of breaking and repurposing new technology
• [06:44] The concept of “soul” and authentic communication in art
• [09:21] Historical analogies: Jacquard Loom, photography vs. painting
• [09:58] Curiosity as the engine of innovation
• [15:48] Importance of constraints in storytelling and art
• [17:54] AI art in museums and the challenge of preservation
• [20:30] Story as the heart of both film and museum experiences
• [26:54] The beauty and inevitability of imperfection

Conclusion

Rob Bredow and Nora Atkinson provide a lively, deeply humanistic exploration of the evolving boundaries of art, technology, and storytelling. While both embrace pushing technical and conceptual limits, they passionately argue for maintaining the irreplaceable soul, story, and communal wonder that make art matter—whatever tools may come next. The future, they suggest, belongs not to machines, but to curious, collaborative, and courageous creators.