How to Stay Creative in the Age of Average AI | Christina Jones, Canva

Episode SummaryThere’s a lot of AI slop out there, bland prompts, generic images, boring text that all blends together. But how do you stand out when everything looks the same?In this episode of In The Blink of AI, Georgie Healy sits down with Christina Jones (aka CJ), Head of Design for Generative AI at Canva, for an unfiltered conversation about creativity, originality, and why taste is the new moat in AI.CJ shares her journey from experimenting with a “cat editor” chatbot called Lemon to leading the design of Canva’s Magic Studio. She explains why AI should be a creative companion, not a micromanager, and how the “Steelman approach” can turn models into your best critic instead of your biggest cheerleader.They cover why productivity isn’t the whole story, why creativity is especially essential during a cost-of-living crisis, and why observing the world around you is the fastest way to sharpen your originality. Plus: Georgie’s first ever AI rant, spicy takes on AI boyfriends, and the eternal love for the em-dash.If you’ve ever worried that AI is dulling your creative edge, this episode is your permission slip to embrace originality, and maybe get a little emo about it.Time Stamps00:00 – Welcome + Georgie’s husky “bug not a feature” voice03:15 – CJ’s role as Head of Design for GenAI at Canva05:10 – Why CJ stopped using AI to edit her writing08:29 – AI Hack of the Week: The “Steelman” method12:00 – Georgie’s first-ever AI rant: The guinea pig app that never launched14:20 – Big picture: how to actually think about AI in your life17:00 – How CJ uses AI to audit her calendar19:14 – Beyond productivity: where AI really adds value23:24 – Why creativity matters in a cost-of-living crisis27:23 – Trends in AI art + training your own diffusion models32:38 – Is taste the real differentiator in AI?34:43 – How to grow original thought + creativity fast38:44 – The ethics (and paradox) of AI companions43:06 – Spotting “AI slop” in writing45:03 – Do you need to be a software engineer to survive the AI era?46:47 – Takeaways: observe, get out of your bubble, grow your creative muscleResources🙋‍♀️ Christina (CJ) Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjonesish/✍🏻 Jonesish Substack: https://jonesish.substack.com/about🍎 Jonesish Website: https://www.jonesish.com/In the Blink of AI is made possible by our wonderful partnersDeelGlobal hiring and payroll can be a headache. Deel brings HR, IT and payroll together in one platform, helping companies including Shopify, Revolut and ElevenLabs scale internationally.Ready to expand your business?Build your global team with Deel at deel.com/dayone. ✨ Connect with Georgie HealyWeekly Substack: https://georgiehealy.substack.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georginahealy/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/georginahealytech/The Day One NetworkIn The Blink of AI is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.Sign up to get your weekly insights into the up-and-coming AI startups: https://dayone.fm/newsletter Mentioned in this episode:Deel x PX_Post Intro