Steph Smith, host of the a16z podcast and creator of Internet Pipes, dives into the future of digital creation in the age of AI. She discusses the transformative impact of AI on art and creativity, exploring how it shapes values and streamlines execution. With insights on niche creators and the use of AI tools like MidJourney and ChatGPT, Steph shares her creative process and highlights the importance of human expression. This conversation is packed with inspiration for anyone looking to navigate the evolving landscape of internet creation.
01:19:16
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Baked Potato Analogy
Steph Smith experimented with ChatGPT by repeatedly prompting it to "bake a potato".
The potato transformed from baked, to ash, and then surprisingly, to a new potato.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Finding Your Aesthetic
Explore Midjourney's homepage for design inspiration, even without artistic expertise.
Analyze what elements appeal to you in different images and then search for similar styles.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Blind Box Design Discovery
Steph Smith used prompts like "blind box design" and "popular market style" to create the Internet Pipes imagery.
She discovered blind box design through Midjourney, showcasing how it bridges physical and digital aesthetics.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Steph Smith is the ultimate internet explorer.
I spent an hour talking to her about the future of creating on the internet in the age of AI. She’s our first-ever repeat guest, and if you watch the episode you’ll see why: It’s a curious, fun, experimental romp through the best of the digital world.
We try out four underrated AI products, go through a list of Steph’s favorite niche internet creators, and follow her creative process in Midjourney in granular detail.
We had a wide-ranging discussion about:
How AI changes what humans perceive as valuable in art and creativity
The type of AI tools that are poised for success
How AI narrows the gap between ideas and execution
If you don’t know her, Steph is the host of the @a16z podcast and the creator behind Internet Pipes, a toolkit to surface useful insights on the internet, and many other cool internet projects.
This is a must-watch if you make things on the internet and are interested in how AI is changing what it means to be a creator—and how creator businesses work.
If you found this episode interesting, please like, subscribe, comment, and share!
Want even more?
Sign up for Every to unlock our ultimate guide to prompting ChatGPT here: https://every.ck.page/ultimate-guide-to-prompting-chatgpt. It’s usually only for paying subscribers, but you can get it here for free.
To hear more from Dan Shipper:
Subscribe to Every: https://every.to/subscribe
Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/danshipper
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Teaser
00:00:46 - Introduction
00:09:08 - How Steph uses Midjourney to find her aesthetic
00:20:45 - Steph predicts how creating on the internet will evolve with AI
00:32:51 - Rapid-fire rundown of Steph's favorite niche creators
00:42:58 - How Steph trains her brain on better data
00:48:19 - The AI research tool Steph uses for health information
00:56:25 - The future of AI tools—and one of Steph's top picks
01:01:20 - Dan and Steph use AI to create a simulation of the internet
01:05:09 - How LLM hallucinations can be useful
01:12:06 - Dan and Steph make a song about what they learned on the show
Links to resources mentioned in the episode:
Steph Smith: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio
Internet Pipes: https://internetpipes.com/
Doing Content Right: https://doingcontentright.com/#features
A few of Steph’s favorite niche creators: India Rose Crawford, Blackforager, David Zinn, David Bird, WatchMaggiePaint
The podcast episode Dan did with filmmaker Dave Clark: https://every.to/chain-of-thought/how-a-hollywood-director-uses-ai-to-make-movies
The AI tools Dan and Steph use on the show: Consensus, Globe Explorer, websim.ai, Granola, Suno
AI and I 