2026-10-15 · Summit Human Capital — 1635 W Broad St, Richmond, VA
Humans, Art, Tools, and AI A Framework for Applied Creativity in the Age of Automated Making Marketing & Creatives Cohort Thursday, October 15, 2026 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM Summit Human Capital 1635 W Broad St Richmond, VA About the Event What makes something art? And when artificial intelligence becomes part of the creative process, where does the artist end and the tool begin? Join the AI Ready RVA Marketing & Creatives Cohort for a conversation with Chris Busse exploring one of the most interesting questions emerging from generative AI: What counts as an artist’s tool? If an artist is any human, and art is anything a human expresses, the harder question becomes how much distance can exist between the artist and the final work before we begin to question authorship, creativity, or artistic intent. Chris will introduce a framework for thinking through that question and apply it directly to AI-generated and AI-assisted creative work. We will look at real-world examples, challenge some assumptions, and ask a deceptively simple question: Is this art? The goal is not to force a single answer. It is to better understand where AI fits within the long history of humans using tools to create. The Conversation This session will explore questions including: What makes a tool an artist’s tool? Does AI meaningfully change the relationship between the creator and the work? Is our discomfort with AI-generated art driven by what the technology actually does, or by how human-like the process appears? Can an artist become too removed from the creation process? Where does authorship live when AI contributes to the final work? When does the answer to “Is this art?” become yes? Expect real examples, thoughtful discussion, and plenty of room for disagreement. That is part of the point. Featured Speaker Chris Busse Chris is a vocationally educated technologist whose 30-year career has largely focused on answering one question: How do people choose the right tool for their work? He has also been a visual artist and supporter of the arts for as long as he can remember. Chris currently works with artists at Eszett , where he and Richmond-based artist Joshua Barber help artists who choose not to use AI in their own creative work get that work into the hands and homes of more people through AI-driven ecommerce…