Reimagining Carl Sagan's Golden Record through Contemporary Filmmaking

What does it take to create something the world has never seen before?

In this final episode of Artful Intelligence, Reid Hoffman and Chris McLeod explore what it takes to spark a creative revolution with filmmaker Paul Trillo. Using OpenAI’s groundbreaking AI video generator, Sora, Paul directed the world’s first fully AI-generated music video. 

After gaining early access to Sora, Paul faced a massive creative challenge: How could he use an AI tool known for surreal, dream-like visuals to craft a music video that felt emotionally real? The answer came from embracing AI’s quirks—its strange hallucinations, its unpredictable transformations—and writing prompts like poetic scripts to guide the machine’s creative output.

Join us as Paul reveals how he turned an experimental AI model into an award-winning music video—and how creators everywhere can harness emerging tech to redefine what’s possible in art.

Time Stamps:

Part 1: To Create a Paradigm Shift with AI, Lean Into Its Constraints

07:25 - Paul Trillo discovers OpenAI’s AI video generator, Sora

09:46 - Navigating early uncertainty about AI’s impact on filmmaking

12:09 - Directing under creative constraints during COVID with The Shins’ “The Great Divide”

16:57 - Making emotionally resonant art despite technological limits

19:09 - Reid: What advice would you give someone running into constraints with AI tools?

Part 2: Paradigm Shifts Often Come from Reviving Old, Impossible Ideas

23:01 - Paul’s early experiments with Sora push AI video limits

24:34 - Resurrecting old creative concepts from his “Graveyard of Ideas”

25:59 - Inspired by Carl Sagan’s “Golden Record” and its sci-fi storytelling potential

28:49 - Creating a surreal AI-generated trailer blending historical and futuristic imagery

30:21 - Revisiting a decade-old “infinite zoom” concept for a music video

35:05 - Reid: How do paradigm shifts in AI go beyond just replicating older tech?

Part 3: Excavating Right at the Edge of What’s Possible Today

37:45 - Writing “alchemy-like” prompts to guide AI’s hallucinations

40:19 - Blending AI’s surreal misremembered details into an emotional story

42:36 - Generating 700 videos and 320 minutes of AI footage for the music video

44:56 - Reid: What kind of impossible ideas might AI make possible?

Links:

“The Hardest Part” Music Video by Washed Out. Directed by Paul Trillo:

https://vimeo.com/941713443

“The Golden Record” by Paul Trillo:

https://vimeo.com/927400626

“The Great Divide” by The Shins. Directed by Paul Trillo:

https://vimeo.com/461473136

Infinite Zoom in Manhattan:

https://vimeo.com/paultrillo

Paul Trillo on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/paultrillo

Will Smith eating Spaghetti (example of early AI video generation): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQr4Xklqzw8

Reid AI:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/reidhoffman_the-nobel-prize-award-ceremony-took-place-activity-7272418124639928320-ZyMn/ 

Show Description:

Artful Intelligence explores the thrilling intersection of creativity and artificial intelligence. Hosted by Chris McLeod, this mini-series dives into the stories of groundbreaking artists using AI to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Each episode showcases how human ingenuity and machine learning collaborate to create the extraordinary. With thought-provoking contributions from Reid Hoffman, Artful Intelligence asks bold questions about the future of creativity: Can AI amplify human expression? How do we ensure it empowers rather than replaces us?