In this episode of The AI Philosopher, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Josh Rose—an artist, ad agency veteran, and filmmaker—for one of the most thought-provoking conversations I’ve had all season. Josh is a true creative polymath. From fine art and photography to digital advertising and now independent filmmaking, his career has constantly evolved alongside—and sometimes in direct resistance to—technology.
We start by diving into Josh’s fascinating background, including his early experiments with Photoshop and his role in launching some of the first shows ever made for the internet. But the heart of our conversation revolves around a big question: Can AI ever replicate the human creative process?
Spoiler: Josh doesn’t think so and he makes a compelling case.
We talked about Meta’s recent announcement that AI will soon handle entire marketing campaigns, eliminating the need for creative teams. Josh had a simple (and hilarious) response: “Anything that lacks humanity will get taken over by AI.”
According to him, great art, whether it’s film, music, or literature, requires something AI isn’t built to handle: time. Real creativity, Josh argues, is slow. It’s filled with tension, mistakes, iteration, collaboration, and emotional depth.
And that’s exactly what makes it human.
We explored the widening split between fast, scrollable content and deep, soul-nourishing art. Josh calls it the “fast food vs. slow cooking” divide—TikTok and YouTube on one hand, and theatrical cinema, novels, and vinyl albums on the other. Despite the growing flood of instant content, he’s optimistic that high-quality storytelling and performance will always find an audience.
We also touched on the evolution of acting, auteur theory, the emergence of AI-generated characters, and whether future generations will lose the patience to appreciate long-form storytelling. Josh, ever the hopeful realist, believes that audience behavior—not technology—will determine what survives. And judging by the post-COVID resurgence of the box office, he’s betting on film.
From Jurassic Park to Monty Python, from simulation theory to dance films, this conversation goes deep—without getting dark. Even as we discuss the potential pitfalls of generative AI, Josh’s creative spirit is contagious.
He’s curious, fearless, and wildly inspiring.
If you’ve ever wondered what separates art from content or whether AI can really move us this episode is for you. And if you’re a filmmaker, writer, artist, or simply a lover of beautiful things, Josh’s reflections on process, patience, and passion will leave you rethinking how we create, consume, and connect in the age of artificial intelligence.
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