AN INTERVIEW WITH OMAR KARIM BY DELANEY WILLET
Debating the ethics of artificial intelligence with multi-hyphenate Omar Karim is closer to watching a gripping TED Talk than volleying arguments. He disarms fatalist fears about AI's world domination and the death of creativity with an unerring optimism, touting the revolutionary advances in technology now available to us. But, while Karim revokes nihilistic stances on AI, he doesn't refuse the concerns of critics. The creator, known also under pseudonyms Arthur Chance and Alan the Photographer, exudes peace through the computer screen, kindly agreeing to chat at 9pm London time. Something in his tenor, in the rush of his stream of consciousness, tells me he could discuss the morality of AI well into the night. "I have always been fascinated by the way technology and humanity coexist," Karim reflects. My every query is acknowledged with the response, "amazing", a toothy grin revealing itself beneath a salt-and-pepper stubble. When I tell him that this piece will go to print "soon", he nods with satisfaction: "The best way."
It is almost as if the technology to which Karim has committed his studies has seeped into his own cognisance. The filmmaker seems as swift of mind and speech as his machine sidekick. "The space between inspiration and idea generation is instantaneous for the first time in history," Karim marvels. "AI has unlocked the creative potential that I had before, but would never be able to execute at this level or this speed." It has been a game changer for the former advertising executive, who now harnesses AI to continue producing viral campaigns. Beyond that, Karim helms six social accounts, platforming AI education and creation across industries, a task he would not be able to keep up with if it were not for his mastery of artificial intelligence. "Cutting edge cinema techniques and state-of-the-art lighting are now available to brands that would not otherwise have the resources to create such campaigns," he says. "We can keep up with consumer demand, and with the speed of the rest of the world. It used to take six months to fashion an ad. It now takes six seconds, but the process requires a novel mind to prompt."
Misfired Moments 5, 2026.
This series looks at the moments between perfect images that the AI can create, this beauty in the accidental moment lends itself to creating emotionally resonant images.
The crux of Karim's case for AI lies in this very sentiment. He represents the like-minded of his creative community in a valiant battle against the supposed mediocrity of AI. "Anything used negatively can be malicious," he starts. "Having an ethical pilot, and a community of creatives willing to combat AI's potentially damaging applications is essential to best honing this new technology. The only thing that is important is human vision." He goes one step further to clarify, "AI has no vision, and it cannot prompt itself. It is never, on its own, going to make something that moves people to tears." To be certain in his call to action, Karim closes, "We have to pilot and teach this entity."
The East Londoner is all too familiar with frightened rhetoric surrounding AI's supposed usurpation of jobs worldwide. "As a former copywriter, when I encountered a machine that could generate that content without being on payroll and needing to go out for a sandwich, I knew that was my job gone," Karim scoffs. He graciously weathers each trite concern I lob his way, having considered them himself only a few years ago. "The pitch for AI is often 'faster and cheaper'," he begins. "The reality is, if you apply AI with the same amount of rigor, people and teams as you do a normal shoot, you will find a whole new world of AI image-making that is limitless." His answers never border on bitterness. He speaks instead to a world of possibility, a shepherd of the startled huddle of creative masses, calmly offering solutions where fear has stopped some in their tracks. "Get up right now and learn this application," he urges. "Do not let your ideas rot in the bottom drawer." The consequences of apathy toward the application are not to be taken lightly, either. "Creativity is at stake here," he threatens. "I don't mean the impulse of creativity. I mean the creativity that is born of action." He doubles down: "We have an obligation to save creativity, since it's now being provided for us." Karim detests the idea that AI would be the catalyst of a culture lost to homogenisation. "There is a junk version of creativity being peddled by tech bros," he says. "If the consumer likes it, we've lost." The onus is then placed on creators to think outside of themselves and to welcome AI into their processes. "We cannot let that drive within us atrophy."
Rather than shy away from how AI might harm industries, the Facebook alum laughs at the idea that the software could cause such controversy. "Why rage against the machine?" Karim laughs. "It is only as smart as we allow it to be. It is entirely under our jurisdiction." As is the case in many issues plaguing our current global consciousness, Karim cites division as the greatest limitation to AI's potential. "There is a real polarity when it comes to brand use of AI," he admits. "Last year, I had to cancel a project because of the artist's resistance to AI as a tool." Karim's collaborators have found a master of craft in the image creator, though some shun possible greatness in the face of moral conflict. "For the first time, as a creative, you're not only confronting the creative task," Karim explains of the recurring resistance he has run up against. "You're confronting prejudice on a level that makes you think, 'This is what must have happened when the camera came out'," he jokes, drawing comparison to a now-analogue example, once a daunting and alien technology. Despite his humour, Karim's comment denotes a larger paradigm at play: everything mundane was once novel and alarming. "No one holds the biases against pencils, or the typewriter, or PhotoShop that they do against AI," he protests. "We are going to remember a time before AI, and a time post AI. As a brand-new technology, why are creatives so focused on the binary conversation, rather than exploring what we may be able to achieve?"
Perhaps it's the decade-and-a-half crash course in brand training that Karim's marketing career afforded, or his unshakeable faith in creating by any means necessary, but any trace of skepticism I bait is heartily diminished by his expert-level acumen.
Lost Memory Cards, 2026.
Every image in the training data has a name, some of those names are the same as the file names of memory cards from digital cameras.
Images courtesy of Omar Karim and Brainclub 5000
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Omar Karim
AI ASSISTANT Alan
