Easily replace items in video and Westworld coming true?!

Good Thursday, my fellow soloists!

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AI Model Battles!

I felt inspired by the terrifying human robot specimen, so I wanted to check out how different AI text-to-image models would represent it.

Do we have a winner?

Prompt: A shoot of A humanoid figure with a distinctly synthetic appearance; the body position is contorned; it is unsettling and creepy. It has a pale white body with anatomically-detailed musculature and skeletal structure. The figure has a metallic or dark-colored head/mask in contrast to its white body. It is hanging from several wires or cables connected to different parts of the figure, looking like a crucifiction.

Best AI News links of the week

My survAIval insight of the week: Understanding the psychological shift AI is forcing upon us is a superpower.

AI is reshaping the filmmaking landscape in extraordinary ways. But it’s not just changing film production itself—it’s doing something deeper. It's liberating the creative spirit within all of us, pushing us to confront our ego, perfectionism, and the pressures of competition.

And honestly, I think understanding this shift is more important than anything right now. Let me explain why.

We hear it everywhere:

• “AI enhances creativity and democratizes art.”

• “AI increases efficiency and productivity.”

These realities excite me. But at the same time, they could also create a serious problem.

Depending on how we look at it, we are heading toward one of two futures (or both at the same time):

1. The biggest creative rat race in history.

2. A new era of creative liberation.

If there’s one thing that has killed my creative spirit, it’s been my ego—fueled by two things:

• The external pressure to be "the best" (competition).

• The internal deeper need to be "perfect" that comes from self-doubt and inadequacy.

These forces feed perfectionism, which leads to procrastination and a toxic relationship with creativity.

A lot of artists suffer from this “ego sickness,” and AI is only going to make that battle harder.

• AI will democratize film with a click of a button.

• AI will make production faster and more efficient.

• AI will generate high-quality content effortlessly.

We are heading toward an AI-powered creative arms race, where businesses and individuals will use these tools to create content at an insane speed.

As I write this, I can sense my own “productivity toxicity” kicking in.
The pressure to finish quickly so I can move on to the next thing and satisfy the algorithm’s demands, not allowing myself the time I need to unravel my thoughts and clarify what I want to express.

Is this where we want to go?

So, what is it going to be?

Instead of throwing ourselves into the AI-powered creative arms race, fighting an impossible battle for perfection, maybe AI is inviting us to discover our own uniqueness - super valuable in an ocean of soulless and endless AI output production.

And in my experience, this is where the real joy in the creative process comes from.

If everyone can create stunning work with AI, the value of art might not be about ‘who’s the best’ but about enjoying the process. And maybe, in the end, the real gift of AI is that it teaches us to take creativity—and ourselves—less seriously.

The cool part is that we can leverage AI to our advantage. The increased efficiency will provide us more time to explore the human elements that technology can't replicate: our distinctive vision, emotional intelligence, and artistic instinct that will make us thrive in an unpredictable future.

I prefer the first path.

I hope that these news, tools, and insights help you prepare for the future!

Have a really nice end of the week and weekend.

Stay kind.

Rafa Tirado