A journalist considering where AI belongs in an editorial process. A filmmaker exploring archival history and questions of authorship. A designer thinking about the choices behind an image. AI and creative work become more specific subjects when you meet a person with a perspective on them, over coffee with a SEYA Source.
The question might be practical. How would someone approach a piece of work? It might be creative, about taste or direction. It might concern what changes when a tool takes part in making something.
Among the people joining SEYA’s beta, Jeremy Caplan brings AI in journalism and AI more generally. Anthony Giacchino brings AI in filmmaking, working with archival history using AI, and authorship in filmmaking. Nancy Ruzow brings discussion of AI alongside branding, typography and color.
A Source is someone worth meeting for their perspective, knowledge, taste, craft, stories, experience, or personality. A session is a bookable conversation. These subjects offer different starting points; read the person’s published session and choose the question you want to explore together.
These subjects come from people joining SEYA’s beta. They describe possible conversations; individual session details and availability will be confirmed during the beta.
AI in journalism and editorial work
Jeremy’s subjects include journalism, entrepreneurial journalism, newsletters and AI. You could bring an editorial question and ask where he would begin thinking about the role of these tools.
Perhaps you are preparing a newsletter, organizing material for a story, or comparing ways to explain a subject. Describe the reader, the material you have and the part you want to examine. A conversation could explore how to assess a suggestion, which details need checking, or what makes a piece worth someone’s attention.
A question to bring
“Where would you consider using AI in this piece of work, and what would you want to examine yourself?”
NIST’s Generative AI Profile describes the risk of systems producing false information confidently. That makes verification a useful part of a conversation about editorial work. Ask how the person approaches checking a claim and keeping track of the material behind it.
Bring public material or a fictional example that preserves the structure of your question. Follow the rules that apply to your workplace and any material you are responsible for.
Filmmaking, archival history and what an image represents
Anthony’s subjects connect AI with filmmaking and archival history. That opens a conversation about the decisions involved when working with material from the past and deciding how to present it now.
You might be curious about the distinction between an existing record and a newly created image, how a viewer understands that distinction, or how a creative choice affects the story being told. Bring one example or a short description of the question.
A question to bring
“What would you want the audience to understand about where this image came from?”
You could also ask how curiosity guides a project. Anthony lists following one’s curiosity among his subjects. That gives the conversation room to move between the tool and the reason someone wants to investigate a story in the first place.
Authorship and the decisions behind the work
When AI is involved in a creative process, there are questions about which choices a person makes and how they describe the result. Anthony’s interest in AI authorship offers a way into that discussion through filmmaking.
You could ask about intention, selection, editing and the responsibility of presenting work to an audience. You might compare different ways someone could describe a process, or discuss which part of making something feels most central to its authorship.
A question to bring
“When you look at a piece made with AI, which decisions are you most interested in understanding?”
This can be a conversation about creative judgment and how people explain their work. Questions about rights to particular material require their own specialist advice. Keep your coffee focused on the perspective the Source offers.
AI through a designer’s eye
Nancy brings AI as a discussion subject alongside branding, typography and color. You could explore how those interests meet in a piece of visual work.
Bring an example you have permission to share and say what you are trying to communicate. Ask what she notices first, what seems specific to the idea, or what she would want to understand about the audience before judging it.
A question to bring
“What choices in this image seem to serve the idea, and what would you want to look at more closely?”
The topic can stay with taste and interpretation. A conversation about AI can be worthwhile even when you spend most of it looking, listening and talking. If you want a software demonstration, check that the Source offers that format before booking.
For a wider conversation about words and visuals, our article on branding and storytelling explores related subjects in the beta.
A place to ask the basic question
You can be curious about AI before you have a project or a preferred tool. Jeremy’s broader AI subject offers a possible starting point if you want to ask how to think about a use you have encountered.
Bring a concrete example. You might have seen a piece of work described as AI-assisted, heard a claim about a tool, or tried something and been unsure how to judge the response. Explain what you understood and where your question begins.
A question to bring
“I have seen people use AI for this. What would you ask before deciding whether that use makes sense?”
Read the session’s level and focus, then agree the subject. Some conversations can begin with an example and a question; others may need preparation. Tool accounts, paid credits and hands-on demonstrations should be agreed in advance when they are part of the session.
Questions people ask
Which AI topics are represented among SEYA’s beta Sources?
Jeremy Caplan brings AI in journalism and AI more generally. Anthony Giacchino brings AI in filmmaking, archival history and authorship. Nancy Ruzow brings AI discussion alongside design subjects. Check their published sessions for the specific focus and format.
Can I bring a creative project to discuss?
Ask the Source whether your project fits the session. Bring a small example, explain your intention, and use material you are allowed to share. Choose one question so there is room to explore the person’s reasoning.
Do I need to know how to use AI tools already?
Choose a session whose level suits you and tell the Source what you have tried. A conversation about creative choices or a basic question may need only an example and your curiosity. Confirm any tool requirements beforehand.
Will a session include a software demonstration?
That depends on the Source’s offer. These topics can be explored through discussion, examples or a demonstration when agreed. Check the session details, including any required account, equipment or tool costs, before booking.
Meet the person behind a point of view
AI is a broad subject. Journalism, filmmaking and design give it a more specific setting, and the person across the table gives you a perspective to explore.
SEYA curates purposeful face-to-face conversations with remarkable people in the city’s most vibrant coffee shops. Discover someone remarkable, see the subjects you could explore together, and meet over coffee in a trusted local place.
Explore SEYA with a question about AI and creative work you would like to discuss.