HTW: Amplifying Art Through Tech: A Conversation on AI

Kicking off Honolulu Tech Week, the spotlight turned to the rapidly shifting intersection of art, culture, and technology, gathered at the Inspiration Hawaii Museum. World-renowned photographer Kwaku Alston and creative director, design leader, and venture capitalist La Mer Walker engaged in a lively dialogue that inspired the audience to see technology not as a threat to creativity, but as a powerful ally.

A New Creative Frontier

The discussion explored how AI, decentralized platforms, and blockchain-driven marketplaces are reshaping the creative industries. For photographers, filmmakers, and artists, these emerging tools present opportunities to reach wider audiences, unlock new creative freedoms, and generate sustainable income streams.

Kwaku and La Mer emphasized that the future of creativity isn’t about resisting technology—it’s about collaborating with it. Just as past generations adapted to film, television, or digital photography, today’s artists must learn to wield tools like AI image generation, smart contracts, and immersive digital platforms.

They broke down how selling work on blockchain marketplaces opens doors for artists to monetize their creations in new, decentralized ways while maintaining ownership and authenticity. Their visions for leveraging AI in photography and film to transform creative hobbies into full-time freelance careers by enhancing production, editing, and storytelling capabilities.We loved learning about the next-generation creative tools and how marketing and presentation can be elevated using AI-driven platforms, automation, and new media formats.

It was advocated that “one size fits all” when it comes to utilizing ai and how it is also important to use a combination of tools for the best results.

Some key emerging technologies mentioned were ChatGPT, MidJourney, Higgsfield, KlingAi, Runway, NanoBanana, Origyn, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Mistral, and Lovart.

How are you adapting to ai in your space? Are you going with the current or fighting against it?

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Don’t miss out on Honolulu Tech Week!

WHERE TECH MEETS HAWAI‘I. SEP 8-14, 2025. Join 3,000+ people across 50+ events and 20 venues, from panels and keynotes to mixers and product launches.  

Blog by Jackie Algas-Sasaki