Shows
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Fashion—Sajna MasseyWatch full video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_4lleJyYiag?si=fef5DN-gmDX9l5D-Prefer to listen? You’re already in the right place.The fast fashion industry runs on excess. Too many trends, too much waste, too little accountability.Sajna Massey is trying to change that—with artificial intelligence.She’s the founder of Couth Studios, an AI-driven fashion company rethinking how clothes get made, and more importantly, why.In our conversation, we talk about the pressure to be visible as a founder, the tension between style and sustainability, and how AI...2025-08-061h 10
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Fear—Lee TowndrowSo much of what’s happening around AI feels like performance. People saying they’ve got it all figured out. Creatives pretending they’re not anxious. But when I saw Lee Towndrow’s post on LinkedIn, where he just came out and said “I’m scared,” it stopped me in my tracks. Lee didn’t pretend. He did the cringe. And it resonated.He’s a Creative Director and VFX artist I’ve always admired for his polished but quintessentially human aesthetic. It’s a powerful combination that elevates and honours humanity. In reflecting on AI and a...2025-07-081h 05
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: How can Canada develop AI policy for creatives?Happy Canada Day! Please enjoy this special video episode of THE GRAIN Podcast, featuring my grains of thought about how Ottawa can build a new creative economy now that Evan Solomon has taken the office of Minister of AI and Digital Innovation. Plus, I introduce THE MEMORY MACHINE, my new AI art exhibition and speaker series.Links to the articles I mention…* Canada’s AI Opportunity with Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon [RBC Disruptors podcast]* Liberals won’t reintroduce old AI law but will address copyright issues [The Logic]* Kate Armstr...2025-07-0218 min
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Effort—Michael InzlichtCreativity has always been a through line in my life and career. For my specialized honours thesis in university, I studied the psychology of creativity—how and why artists are compelled to create.What I found is that creatives are problem-solvers. They seek conflict that they can process and address, using their creativity as a tool for resolution. Over time, they begin to embody and repeat the way they solve these problems—whether by mastering a specific medium or honing a distinctive style. Their method of problem-solving becomes their identity, something they craft and refine throughout their care...2025-02-2757 min
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Ethics—Cindy Pham Many creatives feel AI models are built on the theft of their work, scraping the internet—using their images, words, and music without consent, credit, or compensation. To them, AI is a runaway train, with tech companies moving fast and breaking things, ignoring laws, governance, and ethics in the process.But is that really the whole picture? In this episode of THE GRAIN Podcast, I sit down with AI ethicist Cindy Pham, someone who's been working on AI governance long before it entered the public consciousness. She challenges the notion that AI operates in a lawl...2025-02-181h 23
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Creative Futurism—Dré LabreListen now to THE GRAIN with Ronit Novak, as I launch Season 2 of my podcast probes into the pleasure and peril of AI and the future of creativity—recorded at Made Human Studios in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada.Links to some stuff we talk about…* n-v-r: The Department of Never Been Done Before* Dré Labre’s portfolio website* Design Fiction Daily: Dré Labre newsletter on Substack* The Artifact Scanner: a handheld tool designed to unlock new possibilities* Voidz: This is Where Reality Ends—an AI artist...2025-02-111h 21
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Meaning—Stephen Marche, Part 2Click here to catch up on Part 1 of my conversation with Stephen Marche.Listen now to THE GRAIN with Ronit Novak, as I continue my series of podcast probes into the pleasure and peril of AI and the future of creativity—recorded at Made Human Studios in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada.Part 2 of my conversation with Stephen Marche delves deeper into the mysteries unknown potential of AI and what that means for creativity. Our conversation expanded my mind, and I think it will for you too. Here are links for further research in...2024-12-101h 12
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Meaning—Stephen Marche, Part 1Listen now to THE GRAIN with Ronit Novak, as I continue my series of podcast probes into the pleasure and peril of AI and the future of creativity—recorded at Made Human Studios in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada.Links to some stuff we talk about…* Death of an Author. Stephen Marche’s AI generated novella [Pushkin]Using ChatGPT and Cohere’s LLM models, this provocative literary work blends human creativity with AI-generated prose.* We’re Witnessing the Birth of a New Artistic Medium [The Atlantic]While experimenting with negative weighted prompts, S...2024-12-031h 03
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityBONUS PODCAST: Ronit Novak on the rise of AI and creator valueCreative professionals, including those of us in media, have become accustomed to hearing that our jobs may soon be replaced by artificial intelligence.Ronit Novak’s new podcast THE GRAIN is encouraging honest conversations in the creative community—from filmmakers to those in advertising, design and photography – about the impact of AI on their careers.She joins this episode of Broadcast Dialogue—The Podcast from Made Human Studios in Toronto’s Little Jamaica to talk about why creatives need to start talking openly about AI and the future of creativity. This is a...2024-11-2954 min
Broadcast Dialogue - The PodcastRonit Novak of The Grain on the rise of AI and creator valueCreative professionals, including those of us in media, have become accustomed to hearing that our jobs may soon be replaced by artificial intelligence.Ronit Novak's new podcast The Grain is encouraging honest conversations in the creative community - from filmmakers to those in advertising, design and photography - about the impact of AI on their careers. She joins this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast from Made Human Studios in Toronto's Little Jamaica to talk about why creatives need to start talking openly about AI and the future of creativity.See Privacy Po...2024-11-0654 min
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Design—Una Janićijević on branding and beyondListen now to THE GRAIN with Ronit Novak, as I continue my series of podcast probes into the pleasure and peril of AI and the future of creativity—recorded at Made Human Studios in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada.Links to some stuff we talk about…* Una Janićijević’s art and design website [unaart.com]She engages with collaborators and communities to tell compelling stories and champion underrepresented narratives* How the sparkles emoji became the symbol of our AI future [Wall Street Journal]“From a design perspective, the sparkle in...2024-10-2948 min
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Filmmaking—Walter Woodman of Shy KidsListen now to THE GRAIN with Ronit Novak, as I continue my series of podcast probes into the pleasure and peril of AI and the future of creativity—recorded at Made Human Studios in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada.Links to some stuff we talk about…* Sora: First Impressions with the debut of ‘Air Head’ by Shy Kids [OpenAI]”What excites us is its ability to make things that are totally surreal. A new era of abstract expressionism”* What Sora AI-generated videos look like combined with real-world actors and locations [No Film School...2024-10-2246 min
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Advertising—Ian Mackenzie of McCann WorldgroupListen now to THE GRAIN with Ronit Novak, as I build my series of podcast probes into the pleasure and peril of AI and the future of creativity—recorded at Made Human Studios in the Little Jamaica neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada.Links to some stuff we talk about…* Ian Mackenzie takes creative reins at McCann Worldgroup [Campaign Canada]Mackenzie oversees all creative work for the network’s creative operations in Canada—and serves as McCann’s global AI creative lead* How the ad industry Is making AI images look less like AI [Wall Street Jou...2024-10-151h 13
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityPODCAST: AI vs. Photography—Boris Eldagsen and Miles AstrayTHE GRAIN host Ronit Novak talks photography with Boris Eldagsen and Miles Astray, two international image artists whose recent contest pranks sparked debate on what makes a photograph real. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegrainai.substack.com2024-10-081h 12
THE GRAIN: AI vs. CreativityTHE GRAIN with Ronit Novak teaser trailerCheck out the fresh trailer ahead of the first four weekly episodes starting October 8. And stay subscribed to THE GRAIN on Substack (and beyond!) for discourse about the pleasure and peril of AI and the future of creativity.Read the press release with details on upcoming episodes.I'm Ronit Novak. I'm an art director and photo editor. I'm a mentor, a teacher, a writer, and I'm 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...2024-09-3002 min
Not in HeavenThe Medium is MessyDo your young kids have a smartphone? Most do. And parents have been witnessing the repercussions firsthand for years. This week, the subject came to the forefront when Jonathan Haidt, a Jewish writer, penned a piece in The Atlantic warning of the "terrible costs" of raising children with phones. A new mental health crisis, higher suicide rates, ever-more screen time: much of the ailments of modern youth can be attributed to smartphone use. Jewish kids are no exception, as this week's guest, Rabbi Eric Grossman, knows well; he is the head of the Akiva School in Montreal and agrees...2024-04-0559 min