Is there a personal project that’s been especially meaningful to you?

My own short films, Death as the: Motivator screened at the Curious Refuge event last year and shown at an AI art exhibition in Oslo and the one I mentioned before “Fear of the Dark,” both have received the best responses. I’ve gotten comments on YouTube like “you made me cry, good job,” which as a creator is everything you could ask for, knowing your work touched someone emotionally. “Fear of the Dark” has received incredible feedback from the AI creator community and was featured on Escape AI (Young Data’s platform), which includes some of the best creators in the world.

Could you share your creative process when working with AI tools?

In commercial work, I adapt to the director’s brief, balancing my personal style with the client’s vision. For personal projects, I start with an emotional core and build the narrative around music, using tracks like by Quinten Coblentz and Maya Belsitzman & Matan Ephrat (licensed via Artlist) to set structure and key moments. Creative freedom and client work are distinct processes, each presenting unique challenges.

What’s your approach to working within the constraints of a commercial brief?

Ultimately, it’s not about me, it’s about the product or brand we’re trying to sell. I’m there to communicate that creative vision. It’s about having an open mind for the client while still adding your own creative spin. Sometimes that can be difficult, but it requires letting go to some extent.

How did your involvement with the Stockholm AI Film Conference come about?

Micke, the founder of NorthernSpark who has made around 700 music videos and is well-known in the Swedish industry, called me up because everyone he spoke to told him he should talk to me about his conference idea. We started talking, and after a lot of planning and logistics, we made it happen. I designed my own opening address called “It’s Not AI OR, It’s AI AND” and presented the AI hybrid model segment where we discussed projects like the Land Rover ad.

What’s the concept behind “It’s Not AI OR, It’s AI AND”?

My perspective emerged from LinkedIn debates about AI. It’s not “AI OR,” but “AI AND” – a collaborative approach where AI works alongside traditional tools like cameras, VFX, and CGI. AI offers exciting opportunities but has limitations. It’s just a tool, and great work typically requires combining multiple approaches. This framing creates optimism while acknowledging that AI isn’t about total automation, but about enhancing human creativity.

What were your key takeaways from the conference presentations?

The event featured fantastic speakers. One point that really resonated with me was AI gen director Verena Phum’s response to an audience question about AI never exactly matching what’s in your head. Coming from traditional filmmaking and documentaries, she pointed out that even when working with costume design or production designers, the sketches they return after weeks of work never exactly match your original idea. There’s always a creative feedback process with humans. A film like “Dune 2” involves thousands of people building sets and creating 3D elements. You try to shape your vision, but it’s never 100% what you imagined, for better or worse. AI is the same, it’s a creative partner. People seem to expect AI to magically read their minds, but that’s not how creative collaboration works, whether with humans or AI.

With AI advancing rapidly, what advancements are you hoping for in 2025?

We’ve already had some incredible releases this year with Sora and Veo2, which I’ve been testing in early beta. it’s an incredible tool. The new Hedra lip sync is also remarkable. Looking ahead to Q2 or Q3 of 2025, I think we’ll see video LoRAs becoming significant. You might have seen the viral Keanu Reeves’ Severance elevator clip. As that technology matures and becomes easier to use, it’s going to be pretty transformative, though right now it’s still very complicated and really for the deep Comfy UI experts.

What broader changes do you expect in the AI creative field this year?

Stockholm and Sweden are smaller markets, and the majority of my work isn’t in Sweden – I work across Europe and the US. In the US, AI is already mainstream with big and small brands adopting it. Sweden is more cautious, maybe a year to a year and a half behind, and Europe as a whole is somewhat behind the US. In China and Asia, AI is really taking off. Based on conversations I’m having, I think we’ll see some really significant projects at the end of this year that will take AI content into the mainstream and major mainstream AI projects in very traditional channels.