In the ever-evolving world of creativity, artificial intelligence is emerging as both a powerful and controversial tool. In this exclusive interview, Mauricio Tonon — an award-winning Creative Director, AI Consultant, Educator, and Technical Artist who has worked with agencies such as JWT, Huge, and Fjord — shares his thoughts on AI’s role, addressing its ethical challenges and the new creative opportunities it brings.

Thanks to his unique ability to combine cutting-edge technologies with deep artistic and human sensitivity, Mauricio not only develops pioneering solutions but also promotes a more authentic and creative relationship between humans and technology.

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Who is Mauricio Tonon? How did you get to where you are today?

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Well, that's a tough one to kick off with! I'd say, philosophically, I'm a child of creation - endlessly curious and driven by a love for experimentation. On the more factual side, I'm a 36-year-old Brazilian Creative Director based in Barcelona, collaborating with clients from around the globe.
I've gotten to where I am by embracing that curiosity and restlessness, repeating the cycle of exploring, experimenting, and pushing boundaries - over and over again. It's just who I am.

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You stated that artificial intelligence does not diminish creativity but amplifies it, suggesting that we are living through one of the most prolific periods for creatives. Could you elaborate on this vision?

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Yes, absolutely. Before AI, I was experimenting with 3D animation. On a particularly productive day, I might manage to bring one or two ideas to life using 3D, but I often had 50 ideas swirling in my head. AI became the tool that helped me get all those ideas out, letting me quickly visualize and evaluate which ones were worth pursuing. It’s been a game-changer, enabling my mind to express more creative concepts and experiment at an incredible pace.

I’m naturally a quick thinker and a doer. When an idea comes to me, I want to test it right away and explore different ways to bring it to life. AI matches that energy — it allows me to iterate rapidly and push creative boundaries without being slowed down by traditional limitations. It’s like having an accelerator for my creativity.

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How do you integrate artificial intelligence, digital art, and 3D motion into your work? How has your approach and art evolved with technological advancements?

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Today, I work exclusively with AI systems, focusing on training models and building customized AI workflows for clients who want to explore and harness this new technology. AI has become central to my work, but I integrate it seamlessly with digital art, 3D, and motion design, tailoring the approach to meet the specific needs of each client and project. It's always about understanding the client's challenges and transforming them into creative, immersive solutions that forge meaningful connections between the brand and its audience.
In many ways, this has always been part of my approach. When I was working in advertising, I prioritized using technology to drive innovative ideas. In UI/UX design, I explored ways to integrate real-time tech and 3D movement into user experiences. Working with technological advancements has always been at the core of how I solve problems and bring projects to life.

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"AI is the tool I use to bring my ideas to life. It's nothing without a human driving it with intention and vision"

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Was there a specific moment when you experienced a true shift in your work due to AI? Can you share a concrete example that marked this transformation?

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Yes, that's true. I was on the verge of becoming a full-time 3D artist when I developed tendonitis in both arms. The timing couldn't have been worse - it was devastating and left me frustrated and even a bit depressed. It felt like a dream slipping away right before my eyes.
Then, three days later, I received an alpha invite to MidJourney. Back then, it was invite-only, and suddenly, I had a new way to create and express my ideas. It made me genuinely happy. However, I noticed most people were using it to create dark, horror-themed, or dystopian content, whereas my approach was completely different. For me, it was about vibrant colors, positivity, and good vibes.
I started sharing my prompts on LinkedIn, and to my surprise, people went crazy over it. In just one week, my followers doubled from 2,000 to 4,000. Three months later, I had 30,000 followers, all from simply sharing prompts. That exposure opened doors to both work opportunities and educational projects. It was a real turning point in my life and career - a moment where everything changed.

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In your work, how would you describe the role of AI? Do you see it as an executive tool, a genuine partner in the creative process, or a muse that inspires ideas?

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Yes, AI is the tool I use to bring my ideas to life. It's nothing without a human driving it with intention and vision. I see it purely as a medium - a way to express my ideas, share my perspective on the world, and develop smart, innovative, and tailored solutions for my clients. The level of personalization AI offers is unmatched, and being able to tackle challenges with such precision and creativity is truly incredible.
What AI has also done is connect me with amazing human collaborators. It's inspiring to see other people creating fantastic work with AI - it's a constant source of motivation. The AI community is one of its greatest aspects. It's so united, dynamic, and supportive, and I feel genuinely lucky to be part of something so vibrant and meaningful.

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For the film you created with Luigi Tedesco, you pushed AI capabilities to the limit, working with extreme camera movements and complex character animations. Additionally, the combination of techniques and software you used is truly impressive, resulting in an extremely cohesive and stylistically refined piece. What were the biggest challenges you faced during the creation of this project?

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Thanks! It was definitely a fun project. Honestly, the hardest part was carving out time to work on it amidst real work! It had a deadline since it was created for the Runway competition, which made it even tougher to truly dedicate myself to it.
Another challenge was the technology itself. At the time - almost a year ago - it was still pretty limited for what we wanted to achieve. I had to generate over 350 images in the desired style using MidJourney, then develop a LoRA style model from that. Afterward, I combined that model with carefully chosen image references, masking techniques, and video-driving animations. It was a wild process, figuring out the best settings and achieving the results we envisioned. But all those experiments made the journey even more rewarding!

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Multiverse Glitch’ is a truly fascinating project that allowed you to create surreal and magical universes. Would you like to tell us more about this experience?

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I think the most meaningful project is always the next one! I like to live in the moment, and honestly, I rarely take time to celebrate when I finish something. It’s straight onto the next challenge.

Multiverse Glitch was born from a simple idea: to create a narrative and practice storytelling while leveraging AI’s strengths at the time. This included its ability to generate intriguing movements and artistic, out-of-the-box concepts while avoiding its weaker points, like character consistency and natural, human-like motions.

The core challenge was to imagine a universe where a single historical event played out differently, causing a ripple effect that completely altered reality. I loved diving into that thought process — figuring out what happened, what it led to, and how people’s lives were shaped in this alternate reality. It was a deeply creative exercise that, honestly, I’d never attempt with traditional tools because of how resource-intensive it would be. AI made it possible and enjoyable.

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“AI is a tool — it mirrors the intent and creativity of the person behind it. If used passively, it might produce predictable, cliché results.”

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The technologies available to creatives are increasingly powerful, making it more urgent to establish an ethical framework to govern their use in workplaces consciously. What is your opinion on this? How do you think AI will shape the future of work, particularly in creative fields?

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I believe we have a significant opportunity in front of us. The 40-hour workweek model was introduced in the 1930s — around 86 years ago. Since then, humanity has experienced countless innovations and technological advancements, yet this system has remained largely unchanged. AI presents a chance to rethink work as a whole, shifting from an hour-based system to a more output-oriented one, where the well-being of the worker is prioritized above all else. After all, a happy person tends to be more productive, especially when they’re doing something they love. AI has the potential to level the playing field, allowing everyone to participate on equal footing. That’s its true beauty — helping to shape a world that’s more equitable for all.

From a legal and governmental perspective, it’s clear that regulations are long overdue. The laws surrounding copyrights, usage rights, and similar issues are incredibly outdated and inadequate. They need to be rewritten from the ground up, reflecting the realities of the world we live in today. Ultimately, it all comes down to intent. There will always be people who use AI to imitate others’ styles, but there will also be those who create groundbreaking, original work while collaborating with AI in the most ethical and inspiring ways.

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Your vision of AI seems deeply humanistic. In your work, what do you consider irreplaceable about human creativity? What unique qualities of humanity do you believe AI, no matter how advanced, can never replicate? How can we highlight these qualities in an increasingly technological world?

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Creativity is what makes us unique; it’s something innate that everyone possesses. Some can access it easily, while others struggle, but the truth is, anyone can learn and practice ways to tap into it. Creativity acts as a channel to something bigger — the energy of creation, the realm of ideas. It’s the bridge that connects us to that world.

I also believe — though not with absolute certainty — that creativity, along with our imperfections, personal taste, wild ideas, and the sum of our experiences, is what sets us apart from AI. And in my view, this partnership is ideal: an incredibly unpredictable human with bold ideas paired with an exceptionally powerful AI boasting magnificent generative capabilities. It’s a match made in heaven.

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Ray Nayler has pointed out that AI, relying on pre-existing data models, risks turning innovation into a remix of clichés, leading to standardized and predictable creativity. Do you think this risk is real? Could AI push towards cultural standardization, making creativity less personal, less unpredictable, and more uniform?

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The risk of AI leading to standardized creativity is real, but it depends on how we use it. AI is a tool — it mirrors the intent and creativity of the person behind it. If used passively, it might produce predictable, cliché results. But in the hands of someone with a clear vision and a drive to experiment, it can amplify creativity and push boundaries. The key is to approach AI intentionally, using it as a means to explore and innovate, rather than letting it do the thinking for us. Creativity remains deeply personal when we remain active participants in the process.

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Could you share some advice on how to best use AI tools to challenge this potential uniformity and promote diversity and authentic expressions?

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To challenge uniformity and promote diversity with AI tools, focus on intent and collaboration. Use AI as a partner to amplify your vision, exploring unexpected combinations and embracing the new and unfamiliar. Pair its generative speed with your emotional depth, intuition, and lived experiences — qualities AI cannot replicate — to create authentic and meaningful work. Collaborate with others, share ideas, and learn from diverse approaches to keep your creativity fresh and dynamic. By intentionally leveraging AI’s capabilities while doubling down on uniquely human skills, you can craft work that is both innovative and deeply personal.

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“Creativity demands isolation, and for more contradictory than it can look, lazy periods are used to let the mind drive away and make connections on its own.”

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Do you think AI, due to the proliferation of content, is changing how we perceive quality? Do you believe AI is raising creative standards by contrast or diluting them?

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AI is absolutely changing how we perceive quality, but the impact depends on perspective. For those working in creative industries, there’s often a deeper understanding of what constitutes “good” work — things like intent, craft, and originality play a significant role. Meanwhile, for the average viewer, the focus tends to be on whether something is visually striking or entertaining, which doesn’t always align with industry standards. AI amplifies this divide: some will use it to push creative boundaries, raising standards by producing more ambitious and innovative work, while others will rely on it to mass-produce content, leading to a flood of diluted, less meaningful creations. Ultimately, AI is just a tool — it’s up to the user to decide whether to elevate or compromise creativity. This duality will coexist, creating a dynamic tension between innovation and standardization.

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The beauty of creative work often lies in the process of exploration, finding new stimuli, and the unexpected: an exhibition, a film, the work of other artists, or related disciplines that surprise and inspire us. AI, on the other hand, offers instant inspiration at the click of a button, which can simplify and accelerate the creative process but might reduce the joy of discovering the unexpected.

Do you think this accessibility could lead to a form of creative laziness, pushing us to invest less time in research and forgoing those unexpected twists that often make work unique? Could this simplification of the creative process, while useful, limit the depth of ideas?

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I think everything is possible; we as humans are so different from each other, with different goals, points of view, cultures, and all, in the end, will always be what we choose to do with technology and tools. For me, some people are creatively lazy in the industry, far back from when we could ever think AI could exist. It is way more related to the human if he is doing what he loves, he will put 110% into it, and avoid any creative laziness, while if he is doing just for the money, usually is not enough motivator, for sure, it motivates you to show up and do your job every day, but not to do your BEST work, that comes from passion from love, the most creative outcomes come from people who are intending to do it and know the price for it. Creativity demands isolation, and for more contradictory than it can look, lazy periods are used to let the mind drive away and make connections on its own.

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Beyond your creative work, you are active in mentoring. What aspects of your experience do you consider most important to pass on to those entering the world of digital creativity today?

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I fell in love with teaching in 2018, so a long journey till now. For me, it is about enabling others to create and express themselves and their ideas. Teaching the basics is ALWAYS essential; always cover the basics, become a master of the basics, and then choose something to specialize in, I always try to get this vision to my students. The other thing I really focus on is to work more on the initial pre-work phases of the project. Spend time polishing the concept and the idea. Is it original? Does it bring something new to the table? if not, is it even worth to be produced? We don’t need another “Netflix” or another “Facebook”; we need a new tailored solution that will focus on solving one problem, thats it.

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What other forms of art or disciplines inspire your work the most?

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Everything, life is a true inspiration. I’m a musician too, and I love to play anything. I’m terrible, really bad, but I try to play everything; they are all different forms of expression, and they help your main work almost every time. And when I’m blocked, it is nature, always nature. It holds the most beautiful and incredible patterns, the most subtle and beautiful movements, and the most massive scales one can imagine, it is all there all the time. One just has to stop and look.

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What technological and creative trends excite you the most?

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So I work a lot with ComfyUI, an interface where you can put together nodes and make a tool. Like for example, you put a load image node, an upscale image with a model node, a load upscale model nod,e, and a save node together and you have an upscale tool in about 30 seconds. The thing is, there is more than 1800 nodes already created for ComfyUI and more coming by the day, and NO ONE tested, not even 20% of them. So I’m excited to have time just to play, just link one node to another and see what happens, what new type of media we can produce, what new types of art; the possibilities are endless, literally, if you need a node, you can ask someone to build it for you and create something even more original.

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How do you envision your work 10 years from now?

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Working way less hours I expect ahahaha. I wish to have more time to explore life outsite computers and internet and AI. So my goals it to try to work on something that will last and create a good impact and allow me to focus on creating new solutions and work fully on innovation like a digital scientist.

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Creativity often requires the courage to break boundaries. Was there a moment when you had to make a “courageous” choice for one of your projects?

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Humm, I wonder if I’m the best person to answer that. I’m usually flying up high on projects and the team needs to bring me down to reality, and I do that because I KNOW there will be at least 2–3 people just worrying about reality and restrictions like time and budget, so I guess thats a courageous choice? What I can say is, I always end up doing way more than planned because I got lost on the creative path and keeps exploring and expanding and creating cool things that can be added to the job, I need to learn to cut me down a little more.

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Name two people you consider “heroes” in your field or in your work in general. How do they inspire you?

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Lovis Odin, the guy is a magician, doing all sort of crazy things and innovations using 3d and AI. The second will be Jacob Collier, the guy is musical force of nature, never saw so much energy in one person and super kind, apart from his increadible exploratory way of work and how bold he is on his music.

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Can you tell us something about your future projects?

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I can’t say much, but I’m working on creating the production studio of the future with unmatched quality and control. Stay Tuned!

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Is there anything we haven’t asked about that you’d like to discuss?

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So much! but let’s keep it for a next time. Was an absolute pleasure to be part of this interview, keep pushing your creativity foward and doing this amazing initiatives always. Stay curious.

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Find out more:
Mauricio Tonon ↗︎

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