Podcast Summary
The Futur with Chris Do
Episode: Rethinking Creativity in the Age of AI w/ Jodie Cook | Ep 400
Date: November 22, 2025
Host: Chris Do
Guest: Jodie Cook
Episode Overview
This episode dives deeply into the role of AI in creative industries, specifically questioning how creatives should be thinking about, adapting to, and leveraging AI in their work and lives. Chris Do and Jodie Cook explore the philosophical, practical, and ethical challenges at the intersection of design, technology, and business. Their conversation seeks to move beyond “how-to” into broader reflections on survival, evolution, and authenticity in the AI era.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Adapt or Be Left Behind: The Creative Landscape in the Age of AI
- Chris Do (00:00): Opens with a strong position that refusing to use AI is a “severe disadvantage.” He implores creatives to explore the ethical options available and to leverage AI for themselves and the people in their lives.
- Jodie Cook (00:40): Frames AI adoption as a “game”—everyone needs to learn how to play. Points out a polarization: some are enthusiastic and experimenting with AI, while others are fearful and hesitant.
"This is a game and we just, we all have to play it."
— Jodie Cook [81:34]
2. Survival Strategies: The Inverted Bell Curve
- Chris Do (01:39): Explains how AI exacerbates the existing “inverted bell curve” in creative industries: those at the top and bottom will survive, but the “squeezed middle”—mid-sized studios and agencies—are at risk unless they adapt.
- Recommendations include:
- Retreating to high-value freelancing
- Becoming acquired by larger organizations
- Leveraging AI to operate more efficiently and competitively
3. Three (or Four) Paths for Creatives Facing AI
- Jodie Cook (04:29): Suggests three options:
- Use AI to work less for the same results (more life)
- Use AI to do more in the same time (more output, potentially more money)
- Do nothing and complain (not advised!)
- Chris Do (05:35): Adds a fourth—using AI to do better work, not just more or faster.
- Chris also introduces the notion of universal basic income funded by taxing AI companies due to job displacement (06:33).
4. Reframing Change: “Who Moved My Cheese?” for Founders
- Jodie Cook (07:14): Compares adapting to AI to stages of career progression as a founder. Using AI is another stage—“this is our version of career progress.”
5. Twelve Key Ways AI Can Augment Creativity
Chris lays out a non-exhaustive list of how AI can be incorporated into creative work (from 09:30 to 78:07). Here are the core uses discussed:
a. Research and Summarization [09:30]
- AI as a research partner, summary generator, and citation tool
- Human expertise is still needed for direction and fact-checking
"You should incorporate AI into your workflow so that you can be the person who directs the robot to find the things."
— Chris Do [10:07]
b. Prototyping/Ugly First Draft [11:36]
- AI helps overcome the blank page by generating rough drafts or mockups for visuals, copy, and more
- Creatives must learn to “prompt” well
"The worst thing for any artist is to stare at a blank page or a blank screen and not know where to start. ...You can use the machine to help you generate that ugly first draft, and it could be a hot pile of garbage...but it could be the thing that stimulates you."
— Chris Do [12:22]
c. Production & Efficiency Tools [15:36]
- Examples: AI in Photoshop (removing backgrounds, generative fill), automated rotoscoping in video, mass production of visual options
- Past tools (desktop publishing, typography) were also disruptive
"If you hate AI, then go ahead and start rotoscoping things by hand...Most of us use tools that we grew up with, and we don't even think about the tools anymore as a form of cheating..."
— Chris Do [20:37]
d. Aesthetics as an AI Signature [24:32]
- AI can create new artistic styles, as seen in the “Secret Invasion” title sequence
- Early adopters face criticism but push the frontiers of creative possibility
e. Ethics, Attribution, and Deception [24:32 – 42:50]
- Jodie raises concerns about deceptive AI outputs; Chris notes the prevalence of ghostwriting and delegated creative labor already in Hollywood, music, and literature.
- Attribution standards—in music (Hans Zimmer), design, and architecture—are fluid and context-dependent.
"Are we upset that the ghostwriter's name isn't ginormous? No. And when we watch movies when we know it's not the real person, are we going to flash on the screen, stunt double cgi? We don't do that either because it breaks what we want to believe to be true. ... In a lot of other spaces, we're all just building on what's come before."
— Chris Do [29:46]
f. Summarization and Analysis of One’s Own Work [44:35]
- Use AI to analyze sales calls, workshop footage, and personal content to find highlights and improvement opportunities
- Can dramatically improve review efficiency and self-development
g. Automation of Content Repurposing & Quality Control [47:59]
- AI enables rapid, repeatable transformations of content (e.g., podcasts to reels)
- AI can also psych-profile customers for more targeted communication
h. AI as Companion, Therapist, or Coach [51:54 – 66:11]
- AI’s infinite patience, recall, and lack of judgment make it a surprisingly effective “therapist” or companion—especially for the lonely or those averse to traditional therapy
- Jodie warns that generic advice (e.g., from ChatGPT) is “mushy”; specialized models are better if based on clear principles/mastery
- “The belief system you subscribe to is really important. I just think: don’t subscribe to the ChatGPT belief system because it hasn’t got one.” — Jodie Cook [60:09]
i. AI as Teacher, Mentor, or Personal Trainer [66:11]
- AI can get people to “conscious competence” cheaply and quickly, freeing up humans to add value at higher levels
j. AI as Agent/Assistant [67:45]
- Personal assistants (VAs) who learn to manage armies of AI agents will become more valuable, not less
- “What we value is time. And anybody who can save us time is valuable to us, right?” — Chris Do [72:17]
k. Neurodivergence and Accessibility [73:10]
- AI can extend capability and access for neurodivergent and disabled creatives, acting as an amplifier for unique talents
l. Visualization, Brainstorming, Organization [78:07]
- AI excels at structure, outlining, categorization, and ideation—reducing creative friction and helping prioritize efforts
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
“The future always wins. It's undefeated. So don't fight the future, everyone.” — Chris Do [06:10]
-
“This is our version of career progress. And I quite like framing it as... Okay, cool. This is my first pandemic. This is my first AI era.” — Jodie Cook [08:20]
-
“Just because you have a tool doesn't mean you know how to use it, doesn't mean it can build you the pyramid. But for those people who are smart enough... they'll be building the next pyramids.” — Chris Do [47:43]
-
“I think we want our assistants to run the robots. ...I just want someone else who goes, oh, yeah, I can do that. And they almost click their fingers and it's done. And then that makes them seem superhuman.” — Jodie Cook [71:55]
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Opening Thoughts & AI as a Game-Changer | 00:00–04:29 | | Survival for Creatives: Inverted Bell Curve | 01:39–07:14 | | Embracing Change & Career Evolution | 07:14–09:30 | | 12 Ways to Use AI in Creative Work (Research-Analysis) | 09:30–66:11 | | Ethics, Attribution & Creative Credit | 24:32–42:50 | | AI as Companion and Therapist | 51:54–66:11 | | AI as Teacher, Agent, and Accessibility Tool | 66:11–78:07 | | Visualization & Organizing with AI | 78:07–79:51 | | Closing Thoughts & Call to Action | 80:39–81:37 |
The Episode’s Main Takeaway
AI is not a threat but an amplifier—of productivity, creativity, and opportunity.
Those who learn to play this new “game” thoughtfully—blending empathy, ethics, and adaptability—will thrive, whether as solo creators, agency leaders, or visionaries. Resistance isn’t a long-term survival strategy.
"You owe it to yourself to use the best tools available to you to do more of what you do, to do it in less time, and to do it better."
— Chris Do [80:39]
Final Thoughts
Both Chris and Jodie advocate a proactive, experimental mindset towards AI. Avoiding over-reliance is key, but so is avoiding paralysis or nostalgia for a world rapidly fading. AI is the next “Macintosh moment” for creatives—it’s time to get on board and shape the future, rather than be shaped by it.
"If you're not using AI to augment, to implement, or to help you do what you do, I think you're putting yourself at a severe disadvantage...."
— Chris Do [80:39]