Derrick Schultz

Creativity in the Age of AI

NYFA · 2026

About Me

  • Graphic Designer
  • Artist
  • Filmmaker
  • Product Manager
Collage of generative art, geometric patterns, and wireframe graphics

2015

Style Transfer Typography

Style transfer letterform in black and white patternStyle transfer letterform in orange and yellowStyle transfer letterform in purpleStyle transfer letterform in black and white geometric pattern

2019

faces2flowers

CycleGAN model translating human portraits into floral composites.

face made of purple flowersface made of flowersperson's face replaced with red, green, and yellow floral pattern

Editorial, 2019–2022

Commissioned Illustration

New York Times · New York Times · New Yorker

Editorial

Commercial Type Food Issue

Grid of images that make up a woman's face with glasses

foodissue.commercialtype.com

2022

Scream Scenes

31 experimental horror films in 31 days. Each film uses a different algorithmic filmmaking technique.

2025

Phantoms of Endless Day

Lead Creative Technologist for Ho Tzu Nyen’s four-channel museum installation at LUMA Arles. Algorithmic editing, custom AI models, and 10+ hours of generated footage.

2021–2025

Selfie Song

A millennial’s interpretation of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself. Multiple versions across evolving AI techniques.

Custom Models on Titles

AI-generated still life with dahlias and chrysanthemums over pastel color-blocked squaresSurreal AI-generated painting of vintage television surrounded by dreamlike flowersAI-generated watercolor jellyfish in pastel blues and pinks

titles.xyz — Selfie Song models

Titles

  • Custom Artist Models
  • Generative Images and Videos
  • Artist Attribution

titles.xyz

Titles platform showing AI-generated cat images in various artistic styles

Case Study

Grá Branding

Grá

Sourdough pizza restaurant in East LA. Branding and art direction by Daniel Lock.

My role: AI-generated animation and ongoing visual content.

Grá branding — warped wood texture with yellow typography

Website Animation

Ongoing Series

DJ Night Flyers

Monthly animated flyer series using custom-trained models and AI animation techniques. 2022–2026, ongoing.

Eden AI image generation interface showing magnolia flower images generated with a trained LoRA model
Pika and KlingAI video generation interfaces showing magnolia flower video generation workflow

AI Basics

Generative AI

Generative AI

Discriminative AI

(Classifiers)

Generative AI

  • Text
  • Images
  • Video
  • Audio
  • 3D

Generative AI

  • Text
  • Images
  • Video
  • Audio
  • 3D

 

All of these are guidable and trainable for your specific needs.

  • Train on your particular lighting/photo style
  • Guide ChatGPT to particular copy

Generative AI

  • Image (Text Prompt Input)
  • Image Edit (Image + Prompt)

Demo

Explore Image Edit Tools

artificial-images.com/qwen-edit

Discussion

Creativity in the Age of AI

None of this is new.

None of this is new.

But the speed and scale will only accelerate.

Campaign: 15 images

Campaign: 15 images

× 20 crops

× N markets (hyperlocal & global)

You are now a business of one

You are now a business of one

You are Photographer, Retoucher, Social Media Manager...

You are now a business of one

You are Photographer, Retoucher, Social Media Manager...

Videographer, Sound Designer, Copywriter, Streamer, Game Designer...

You are now a business of one

And if you make AI images and video you are also Gaffer, Set Decorator, Casting Agent, Hair and Makeup, etc.

Isn’t AI unethical and/or have huge energy usage?

The case for craft and artistic intent

vs.

the demands of business and competition

So...what is your role in the Age of AI?

Style/Taste?

Style/Taste?

Concepts/Ideas?

Style/Taste?

Concepts/Ideas?

Your POV

Humans are social animals. We want to interact.

Humans are social animals. We want to interact.

What most people want is someone to hold responsible.

Or you can become a media artist like me :)

I made these slides with Claude ;)

Thanks!