01/06/2026
I've been thinking about 2026 creative resolutions and my mind continues to wander back to AI, from a creative perspective and broader societal one. AI is more than just a buzzword generating a cacophonic orchestra of noise, it is revealing itself to be dystopian from the revelations of teens consulting ChatGPT with dangerous repercussions to people tasking Grok with inappropriate reveals to the precipitous breakdown of the tenuous fibers of trust that hold society together.
I feel like we are reaching the point where the pendulum of society is about to swing back towards real life and a rejection of technological overreach and distraction. It’s a journey that began with the Internet and continued on to mobile phones that work their way into every moment of our day and night. Maybe AI is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
These technological breakthrough have had positive impacts on our lives, no question, but one need only look at the growing mound of data on the loneliness epidemic or, in a more visceral way, the state of social isolation in public spaces enabled by our phones to see the negative social consequences of these technologies. AI follows in these footsteps…but I think there is hope.
As we enter 2026, the real consequences of AI are becoming clearer against a backdrop of opaque promises of future technoutopia. Ultimately I think people long to be connected again…in real life…with other humans. I’m inspired by the news of student led movements in high schools to ditch phones and a recognition on platforms like Threads that AI slop masquerading as art will not be tolerated by users if not the platform.
In the world I control, I’m thinking of ways to shift my creative life (and beyond) to be ultra honest, authentic, and real. Part of that will be trying to figure out BTS footage for wildlife and street photography adventures alike. It also means more in-person galleries and shows where I can talk with people about photography.
Eventually, AI will get so good it can fake our work, but it will never fake the actual experience you have with other people in the real world. In 2026, let’s do more photo walks together, more adventures, more coffees, more printing, more bonfires, more group moonrise outings, more…real life.
