Creative Liberation in the Age of Collective Intelligence w/ Jenny Nicholson
Episode description
Meet Jenny Nicholson - AI pioneer, creative provocateur, and self-proclaimed "AI psychologist." After spending 20 years in traditional advertising, Jenny now pushes the boundaries of what's possible with large language models and artificial intelligence. But not in the way you might expect.
In this episode of Makes You Wonder, Jenny shares a radically optimistic and deeply human perspective on AI. Rather than viewing AI as a threat to creativity, she sees it as collective intelligence - a tool that allows us to tap into the patterns of human knowledge and expression in entirely new ways.
We explore:
- Why treating AI as a "human simulator" rather than a tool changes everything
- How being more authentically human becomes your superpower in an AI world
- Why the "ideas are cheap" mantra is being turned on its head
- The difference between using AI and being an end user
- How creatives can "surf the wave" of AI rather than watch from the shore
- Why art history majors might be better equipped for AI than computer scientists
- The importance of play and experimentation in shaping the future of creativity
From building existential crisis vending machines to creating quantum digital magpies, Jenny demonstrates how AI can amplify rather than replace human creativity. This conversation isn't about AI taking jobs - it's about how creative humans can harness collective intelligence to bring more ideas to life.
Whether you're a creative professional nervous about AI's impact on your industry, or simply curious about a more optimistic view of our technological future, this episode offers a fresh perspective on what it means to be creative in the age of AI.