Nuts & Bolts: Argue, Inspire, Craft: AI in the Workshop of the Imagination

AI is spread­ing fast — branch­ing out like roots beneath the surface of our lives and work. For anyone paying atten­tion, it brings a mix of uncer­tainty and possi­bil­ity. This talk invites us to pause, not to rush into adop­tion or outright rejec­tion, but to ask: how might AI become part of creative prac­tice, used with care and intention?

With inspi­ra­tion from figures like William Morris and Christina Monteiro, we’ll reflect on what it means to create with machines rather than for them. Can AI be more than a short­cut — maybe even a tool for reflec­tion, for inspi­ra­tion, for resistance?

This is a call to think together: How do we stay rooted in our values while reach­ing toward new forms of making? What remains essen­tial, tactile, and deeply human in our work? And what might we gain if AI enters not just our sketch­books or research, but even our doubts — or our laundry sched­ules and unpaid bills?