By PJ Pereira, Pereira & O’Dell
Switching from traditional software to AI tools is like trading in a bicycle for a horse. With the old programs—the bicycles—we pedal hard, and they go exactly where we steer them. They rely entirely on our effort and direction. But AI tools are more like horses: they have their own power and sometimes their own ideas. This shift fundamentally changes how we interact with technology, especially in creative work.
Riding a horse isn't the same as riding a bike; you have to learn how to communicate with it, and each horse is different. Just because you know how to ride one horse doesn't mean you've mastered them all. Each AI tool has its own quirks and behaviors, and while we're learning how to guide them, they're also learning how to respond to us. The command that works on one platform may be useless on another. Mastering these differences helps us better navigate the evolving landscape of technology.
There's both good and bad on the horizon as we embrace this new "horse ride." On the darker side, if storytellers rely too much on AI, we risk everything starting to feel the same because AI models draw from the same data sets. This leads to eerily similar patterns across everything and everyone, lacking true originality. It sends unsettling waves through me to imagine a world full of homogenized stories.
But surely there's a positive side to this technological shift. Absolutely. There are countless people with amazing stories who haven't had the privilege or resources to tell them. Maybe they weren't born with a brain wired for storytelling or didn't have the time to hone their craft. AI can help bridge that gap, allowing more voices to be heard. It's like giving everyone a chance to ride a horse when before only a select few could.
I've personally experienced this balance of pros and cons. When I wrote my novel The Girl from Wudang under my pen name PJ Caldas, I used AI for the cover art, creating beautiful trailers, and even checking the grammar. But the story itself—the characters, the language, the arcs—came directly from me. At a book event, someone asked if literature would be destroyed because writers could use AI to churn out content that wasn't truly theirs. It made me realize that when a story comes from deep within you, you need to write it yourself. Letting a machine do it wouldn't fulfill that essential need.
Think of AI as a competent young assistant—not a genius, but good enough at everything.
Think of AI as a competent young assistant—not a genius, but good enough at everything. Suppose you're a brilliant illustrator who's always wanted to make a movie but lack skills in screenwriting or composing music. With AI, you can get support in those areas. Your incredible illustrations can shine, supported by a "good enough" script or score generated by AI. It's ironic but true that a piece with one exceptional element can still be brilliant, even if the other parts are just adequate. AI helps fill in the gaps, allowing artists to focus on their strengths.
I think we'll see a different kind of creativity—machine creativity. AI might handle tasks requiring less creativity, elevating them to an average level. But the profound, deeply human artistry comes from a place machines can't reach. The irony is that as AI handles the "good enough" parts, the truly exceptional human collaborations will stand out even more, becoming more valuable than ever.
Of course, there are concerns regarding AI imitating artists' unique styles. Artists have always borrowed from each other—that's how culture evolves. But when companies use AI to profit from an artist's unique style without compensating them, it feels exploitative. We need to navigate this new landscape carefully, but we also need to experience it firsthand to understand its realities. We can't legislate from the outside, out of fear. It's uncharted territory, and we must proceed thoughtfully.
AI might handle tasks requiring less creativity, elevating them to an average level. But the profound, deeply human artistry comes from a place machines can't reach.
Change always follows the stories we tell, and stories always follow the storytellers and the world they live in. This big reset is an opportunity to either increase or decrease the inequalities around us. I hope we don't screw up.
We're at a crossroads where technology can democratize creativity like never before. It's both exciting and a bit daunting. But if we stay true to the essence of storytelling—sharing unique human experiences—we can harness AI as a tool that amplifies our voices rather than dilutes them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PJ Pereira, co-founder of Pereira O'Dell and Chief Creative Officer of Serviceplan Americas, is a pioneer at the intersection of tech, entertainment, and advertising. Named Adweek’s AI Champion of the Year in 2023, he also co-founded Silverside, an AI innovation lab. Beyond advertising, PJ is a novelist and martial artist, with multiple black belts and a recent book, The Girl From Wudang, exploring AI, martial arts, and immortality.