Generative AI tools like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have taken the world by storm in recent months, wowing the masses with their uncanny ability to produce images via text prompts.  In this interview, we’ll chat with Karen Cheng about how she’s leveraged these tools among others, with a focus on how this new paradigm is reshaping the creator landscape. You’ll get to hear the behind the scenes of many of her viral works, including a video of her becoming a lawnmower, her AI-generated Cosmo magazine cover, her DALL-E fashion show, her transforming iconic art into 3D museums to explore, and much, much more. By the end of this episode, listeners should have a better understanding of the new tools at their fingertips (literally!), how AI can indeed enhance the creative process, and the second-order effects of these innovations, like how creators are paid. Since we’re just at the beginning of the AI era, this is just the beginning of our coverage as well. Timestamps:  00:00 - Intro 02:59 - Karen’s journey to content creator 06:32 - Creative unlocks for viral content 09:28 - The changing social media landscape 12:08 - Innovating with AI 14:59 - Unique AI tools available today 17:52 - How AI tools might differentiate 21:04 - Cosmo’s first AI-generated magazine cover 24:19 - Inpainting, outpainting, and the fungibility of artists 31:54 - AI enhancing the creative process 32:39 - The virality of optimism vs pessimism 38:19 - Turning attention into business 43:13 - IP and ownership in the age of AI 46:18 - The downward pricing pressure of AI 47:21 - Is generative AI still a gimmick? 53:32 - The adaptiveness of humans 58:26 - The importance of AI ethics   Resources: Karen’s TED Talk Karen’s Instagram account Karen’s website Cosmo magazine cover and tutorial DALL-E fashion show and tutorial DALL-E outpainting announcement I spent $15 in DALL·E 2 credits creating this AI image   Stay Updated:  Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.com/podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

The long-standing (and chart-topping) a16z Podcast returns to cover the most important topics within the world of technology. Brought to you by the minds at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and hosted by Steph Smith, each episode goes beyond headlines, giving listeners insider access to the edge of innovation. Subscribe to be the first to receive upcoming episodes featuring industry leaders like Steve Wozniak, Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, and Neal Stephenson, and covering a range of topics, from AI to space to the metaverse to genomics, and beyond.   Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.com/podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.