Generative Series: AI, Art & Culture - A Creative Community Built for "And" People
Just before ChatGPT went mainstream, Nihal Krishan and Phil Linder spotted a gap. AI was everywhere, but the conversation missed life - dating, therapy, music, painting, performance. So they built a room where those worlds mix, on purpose.
The result is Generative Series: AI, Art & Culture - an ongoing, IRL event that blends artists, technologists, policy folks, and curious creatives. If you're "designer and DJ," "policy analyst and painter," or simply art-first and AI-curious, this is your crowd.
What makes it different
The format is simple and effective: demos first, conversation second. No long panels. No sponsor monologues. Presenters show the thing. Then you meet them, question them, and try it yourself.
Held with partners like the AI Collective on the rooftop of The Line Hotel, the fall edition drew attendees from OpenAI, Meta, Google, Amazon, the White House, Capitol Hill, federal agencies, venture funds, Booz Allen, and Deloitte - plus designers, filmmakers, musicians, and painters. Krishan summed it up: "Our goal is to bring things from the online zeitgeist together in real life, creating an intersection of arts, policy, technology and culture."
Standout idea to sit with
Interdisciplinary artist Patrick Burns framed the night with a line that stuck: "AI is the first tool in human history that is a two-way street - every time you use it, it uses you. The most interesting thing we have is our perspective. As we use AI, do we get to keep that?"
Inside the fall edition: artists, builders, and live experiments
- Ted Kaouk - three-time federal chief data and AI officer and author of Generative Work - presented "The Art of AI Guidance," distilling lessons from building 30 AI apps in 30 days.
- Faaiz Ikeoluma Ibraheem - writer and photographer - previewed a solo show around a DC techno series, King Of Silhouettes.
- Patrick Burns - known for unconventional materials - showed textured, high-saturation canvases with a sculptural feel.
- T Mofid - artist and art therapist - shared physical and virtual pieces exploring AI as collaborator and refinement tool.
- Daniel Summer - supercomputer designer and CEO of Codec Market - synced analog/digital video synthesis to live beats from DJ Eb & Flow and percussionist Ram Viswanathan, turning audio directly into visuals.
- Chida Sadayappan - managing director of ML and AI Engineering at Deloitte - walked through "Mind O(ve)r Machine: The Creative Revolution Led by AI," a look at how AI can amplify imagination and output.
Why this matters for creatives
The demos make the point: AI isn't replacing taste, it's extending it. You bring the perspective; the system extends your reach, speed, and iteration loop. That only works if you keep authorship - your point of view - front and center.
As Krishan puts it, it's a "meld of man and machine - or woman and machine." The tension is the work.
Analog grit meets digital systems
Summer's setup - vintage television, synthesis gear, and a sound board - felt like a modern nod to Bell Labs: science, engineering, and art in the same room. Building video "from scratch" makes you more sensitive to how the same thing is handled digitally. That cross-pollination fuels better systems and better art.
The AI boom started with artists
Look back: visual generators were the first to grab the public's attention. Tools like Midjourney made the possibilities obvious - fast. Artists moved first, not engineers. That continues here: experiments lead, culture responds.
How to use this model in your practice
- Run IRL demos. Host a small gathering. Show your process live. Let people touch the workflow. Then talk.
- Do "30 in 30." Not 30 apps - 30 experiments. One piece a day: a loop, a sketch, a scene, a prompt set. Post the results. Track what sticks.
- Set creative constraints. One color. One model. One instrument. Constraints create cohesion and force style.
- Build odd pairings. Painter + data scientist. Poet + product manager. DJ + photographer. The friction creates new work.
- Keep your voice. Use AI for speed and exploration, but commit to a point of view. Style beats volume.
- Ship it publicly. Show process, not just outcomes. Invite feedback. Iterate in the open.
IRL energy matters
DC is a serious town. This series loosens the tie. People who spend their days in policy or engineering get to play, question, and connect without pretense. That mix is why it's growing - and why the conversations are useful.
What's next
Generative hosts the series quarterly. The next event - AI & Film - will be Sunday, March 8, 2026, from 2-5 p.m. at The Line Hotel in Adams Morgan.
If you're building a practice around AI art and want a curated starting point, explore tools creators actually use here: AI tools for generative art.
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