Metrics & Mingling 2025 Live Panel

Episode Description

Join us for a special live recording from Metrics & Mingling 2025, where audience participation drove the conversation about AI's role in creative entrepreneurship. Through interactive polling, attendees guided discussions about administrative efficiency, creative process boundaries, and maintaining human value in an AI-driven marketplace. This dynamic panel explores how creative professionals are navigating the integration of artificial intelligence while preserving the authenticity and struggle that makes their work meaningful.

• Administrative tasks worth delegating to AI vs. keeping human-centered
• The role of struggle and context in authentic creative work
• Balancing efficiency gains with creative fulfillment
• Finding your unique voice and story as a creative professional
• The democratization of creative tools and its impact on professional artists
• Charging appropriately for human-crafted work in an AI-accessible world
• Building sustainable creative careers through intentional tool use
• The importance of play and experimentation in maintaining creative edge

The Guests

• Dr. Anuli Akanegbu - Cultural anthropologist and labor, race, and technology researcher at Data and Society; Host of "Black in Real Life" podcast
• EmmoLei Sankofa - Film and TV composer with work featured on Hulu, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime
• Alejo Porras - Visual note-taking artist and illustrator; Upcoming host of "Fresh Ideas" podcast

On Administrative Efficiency: "What are we saving that time to do? Like, what is the purpose of cutting all these corners and trying to be super fast with things?" - Dr. Anuli Akanegbu

On Creative Process: "When we delegate our thinking and creativity to AI, those are the things that intrinsically makes you, you... The struggle is what makes it better." - Alejo Porras

On Industry Evolution: "Don't say that you draw, like that's not your differentiator. A lot of people can draw, AI can draw now... We need to know the human behind it." - Alejo Porras

On Value Creation: "Sometimes people care more about the story behind the object than the object itself. So if you manage to tell your story, that would be so much more valuable." - Alejo Porras

• Dr. Anuli Akanegbu: anuliwashere.com | @anuliwashere | Data and Society research
• EmmoLei Sankofa: e-sankofa.com | @emmolei on Instagram
• Alejo Porras: Alejo Porras Art on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn | Fresh Ideas newsletter on Substack
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Could Be Pretty Cool is an audio-first think tank for creative industries, using conversations with artists, designers, and innovators as qualitative research about the creative economy. The show captures real-time insights from people living and working in rapidly evolving creative fields.

Follow Could Be Pretty Cool: @couldbeprettycool | couldbeprettycool.com | couldbeprettycoolnews.substack.com

AI in creative industries, creative entrepreneurship, administrative automation, human creativity value, artistic authenticity, creative process, double consciousness, cultural anthropology, film composition, visual note-taking, creative community, industry evolution, Atlanta creative scene